4 syllables: Ad, o, les, cence. Stress on les.
ad-uh-LES-uhns
/ˌædəˈlɛsəns/
Adolescence is pronounced ad-uh-LES-uhns (/ˌædəˈlɛsəns/). It has four syllables (Ad-o-les-cence), with the stress on "les". Adolescence is the period of human development between childhood and adulthood, marked by physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. It typically begins with puberty and ends when individuals reach full physical and psychosocial maturity, though the exact timing varies. In everyday use, it refers to the teenage years and the social experiences associated with growing up.
nounAdolescence is the period of human development between childhood and adulthood, marked by physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. It typically begins with puberty and ends when individuals reach full physical and psychosocial maturity, though the exact timing varies. In everyday use, it refers to the teenage years and the social experiences associated with growing up.
How to Pronounce Adolescence
"Her adolescence was a time of rapid curiosity and experimentation."
"The school launched a program to support students during adolescence."
"During adolescence, peers often influence decisions more than family does."
Pronounce as /ˌæ.dəˈlɛs.əns/ (US/UK). Stress falls on the third syllable: ad-o-LE-sense. Start with a clear
Common errors: misplacing stress (putting stress on the second or first syllable), pronouncing the middle 'o' as a full 'oh' instead of a schwa, and elongating the final '-ence' into 'ad-uh-LEH-sence'. Correction: keep the middle vowel as a quick schwa /ə/ in the second syllable, and stress /ˈlɛs/ rather than the initial syllables; finish with a crisp /ns/ rather than /nz/.
In US, stress is on the third syllable with a clear /ɛ/ in 'less' and a reduced middle /ə/; in UK and AU, the /ɪ/ vs /ɛ/ in 'less' can be slightly higher, and the rhythm may feel less punchy due to non-rhotic tendencies; final -ce often sounds like /ns/ without vocalization. In all, the core is /ˌæ.dəˈlɛ.səns/ with slight vowel quality shifts.
Three challenges: (1) the three-syllable rhythm with primary stress on the third syllable can be tricky if English isn't your primary language; (2) the middle schwa /ə/ can become a stronger vowel in some accents, muddying the /d(ə)l/ sequence; (3) the final /s/ blends with the preceding /ə/ making the transition to /s/ quick. Practice with slow syllable articulation and then speed up.
The word uses a light, unstressed middle syllable /də/ that anchors the rhythm before the strong /ˈlɛ/ in the third syllable; the -sence ending blends /səns/ quickly, not as /sənsɪ/. This makes listening and speaking feel fluid when you connect the syllables in connected speech.
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Adolescence comes from the Latin adolescere, meaning to grow up or to mature. The noun form was adopted into English through French adolescence, reflecting medieval Latin roots. adolescere itself blends ad- (toward) with coalescing grow-up concepts, progressing from adolescence to adult life in late antiquity and the early modern period. The modern sense—an intermediate life phase characterized by puberty and developmental transitions—coalesced in the 16th-18th centuries as scholars described stages of human life. First attested in English around the 14th century, the word gained its current socio-psychological connotations in the 19th and 20th centuries with the rise of developmental psychology. Over time, the term shifted from a purely biological notion of growth to a broader psychosocial phase reflecting identity formation, autonomy, and social role exploration.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Adolescence" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Adolescence" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Adolescence"
-nce sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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