3 syllables: a, cute, ly. Stress on cute.
uh-KYOOT-lee
/əˈkjutli/
acutely is pronounced uh-KYOOT-lee (/əˈkjutli/). It has three syllables (a-cute-ly), with the stress on "cute". Acutely means with intense perception or sensibility, or to a high degree. It often describes a sharp severity, keen awareness, or acute physical or emotional sensitivity. The word can function as an adverb or adjective, emphasizing degree or precision in perception, judgment, or condition. In context, it signals a pronounced, sometimes piercing, quality or feeling.
Acutely means with intense perception or sensibility, or to a high degree. It often describes a sharp severity, keen awareness, or acute physical or emotional sensitivity. The word can function as an adverb or adjective, emphasizing degree or precision in perception, judgment, or condition. In context, it signals a pronounced, sometimes piercing, quality or feeling.
"Her acute sense of hearing helped her detect the faintest sound."
"The patient was acutely aware of the pain, which intensified with each breath."
"In the puzzle, acutely angled corners challenged the builders."
Acutely is pronounced with three syllables: /ˈæk.juːt.li/ in many accents. The primary stress falls on the first syllable: AC-ù-tly. The middle syllable features a long 'u' sound /juː/ similar to 'you'. The final -ly is /li/ with a light, quick 'lee' sound. For clarity: start with an /æ/ as in 'cat', glide into /juː/, then end with /t/ + /li/. In American and UK English, you’ll hear /ˈæk.juːt.li/; Australian follows the same pattern but with a slightly flatter vowel in the /juː/.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress or shortening the middle syllable. People often say /ˈæk.ɪt.li/ or /ˈæ.kjuː.tli/ by eliding the /juː/ into /ju/ or dropping the /t/ sound. To correct: keep three distinct syllables: /ˈæk/ + /juː/ + /tli/. Ensure the /juː/ is a clear, rounded gliding vowel, not a schwa. Keep the final /li/ crisp but not overly voiceless. Practice slow, then speed up while maintaining the middle glide and final consonant.
In US English, /ˈæk.juːt.li/ with a clear /juː/ and rhotic r not present; UK forms /ˈæ.kjuː.tli/ with slightly shorter /æ/ and a more clipped /tli/. Australian tends to maintain the same /ˈæk.juːt.li/ pattern but with a flatter vowel in /æ/ and a tendency toward less pronounced rhoticity avoidance in connected speech, though 'acutely' remains non-rhotic in standard varieties. Overall, the main variation is vowel quality: /æ/ versus /æ/ plus the precise articulation of /juː/ and the syllable boundary.
The difficulty centers on the three-syllable rhythm and the flyover /juː/ gliding sound between the first two syllables, plus the final cluster /t.li/. Speakers often merge /juː/ with a schwa or compress /tli/ to /tli/ as /tli/ quickly, making it sound like /ˈæk.ɪ.tli/. Accurate articulation requires clear segmentation: /ˈæk/ (with front lax vowel), /juː/ (a rounded, high back vowel plus a 'y' sound), and /tli/ (an aspirated /t/ followed by a crisp /l/ and /i/).
There are no silent letters in acutely. Each syllable carries phonetic content: /ˈæk/ has the short 'a', /juː/ uses the long 'you' vowel, /t/ is pronounced, and /li/ ends with a clear 'lee' sound. The tricky part isn't silent letters but maintaining the three-syllable rhythm and the middle vowel glide. Focus on explicit articulation of each segment and avoid compressing /juː/ into a quick /uː/ or /ju/.
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Acutely derives from the adjective acute, which comes from Latin acutus, past participle of acere meaning to sharpen. The Latin term is formed from acere (to sharpen) with the suffix -tus, indicating a completed state or condition. In English, acute appeared by the 14th century, originally conveying sharpness of wit, instrument, or pain. By the 17th–18th centuries, it extended to describe acute perception or intellect, and as an adverb, acutely, it emphasized degree. The evolution mirrors a shift from tangible sharpness to figurative intensity—keen senses, acute observations, acute angles. The semantic range broadened with scientific usage (acute angle, acute illness) in the 18th–19th centuries, reinforcing the sense of precision and severity. Today, acutely commonly attaches to senses, emotions, injuries, and observations, conveying heightened, exact, or piercing quality across contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "acutely"
-ely sounds
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