3 syllables: ad, sorp, tion. Stress on sorp.
uhd-SAWRP-shuhn
/əˈdsɔɹpʃən/
adsorption is pronounced uhd-SAWRP-shuhn (/əˈdsɔɹpʃən/). It has three syllables (ad-sorp-tion), with the stress on "sorp". Adsorption is the process by which molecules adhere to a surface, forming a film of adsorbate on the boundary. Unlike absorption, adsorption is surface-limited, often driven by intermolecular forces. In science, it’s a key mechanism in catalysis, filtration, and chromatography, where substances accumulate on a solid interface rather than penetrating its interior.
Adsorption is the process by which molecules adhere to a surface, forming a film of adsorbate on the boundary. Unlike absorption, adsorption is surface-limited, often driven by intermolecular forces. In science, it’s a key mechanism in catalysis, filtration, and chromatography, where substances accumulate on a solid interface rather than penetrating its interior.
- Common challenge: accurately producing the /ˈzɔː/ or /ˈzɔr/ portion after a short initial syllable. You may default to /ædˈzɔp/ or drop the r-color, which muddles the intended vowel quality. - Correction tips: • Practice the onset: begin with a firm /æd/ then release a precise /z/ by not letting your tongue touch the alveolar ridge too briefly. Keep the zvoiced fricative crisp. • Build the /ɔː/ or /ɔr/ into a clear diphthong before /p/: contract the lips slightly to the back of the mouth, then release into /ʃ/ with the following /ən/. • End strong on /ən/; avoid a heavy /n/ that would transfer into the preceding vowel. Use a quick schwa before the final n to soften the ending. - You’ll hear the word correctly when you can move from ad- to zɔr- without a glottal stop or vowel shortening. Use slow-repetition drills, then escalate to normal speech pace.
"The activated carbon promotes adsorption of organic pollutants from water."
"They studied the adsorption isotherm to understand how the gas molecules cling to the solid surface."
"Adsorption experiments helped separate dyes from solution using a porous material."
Accentuation falls on the second syllable: ad-SORP-tion. IPA US: /ˌædˈzɔrpˌʃən/ (or /ˌædˈzɔːpʃən/); UK: /ˌædˈzɔːpʃən/; AU: /ˌædˈzɔːpʃən/. Start with a clear “ad-” then stress the “zor” portion, ending with “-ption.” The key is a light, quick “z” before the open “or” vowel, and a final schwa in the second-to-last syllable. You can listen to samples on specialized dictionaries to compare accents and practice the exact vowel lengths.
Two frequent errors: (1) misplacing stress, saying ad-SORP-tion with the main stress on the first syllable; (2) mispronouncing the “z” as “s” or slurring the “orp” into a single syllable. Correction: keep the primary stress on the second syllable, produce a clear /z/ sound after the /æ/ or /æd/ onset, and articulate the /ɔː/ or /ɔr/ diphthong before /p/ and /ʃ/ transitioning to /ən/ or /ən/. Practice with minimal pairs to force correct cluster boundaries and ensure the /ˈzɔr/ sequence is crisp.
US tends to use /ˌædˈzɔrpˌʃən/ with a rhotic /r/ and clearer /ɔr/ in ‘or’. UK often uses /ˌædˈzɔːpʃn/ with a longer /ɔː/ vowel and less pronounced rhoticity in non-rhotic varieties. Australian blends rhoticity inconsistently and may reduce the /r/ in casual speech, producing /ˌædˈzɔːpʃən/ or /ˌædˈzɔːpɒn/. Across all, the critical landmarks are the /ˈzɔː/ vs /ˈzɔrp/ diphthong and the final /ʃən/ vs /ʃn/ realization, depending on the speaker’s dialect.
Key difficulties are the cluster /dz/ or /d͡z/ at the boundary after /æ/ and the transition from /ɔː/ (or /ɔr/) to /p/ and /ʃ/ before the final /ən/. You’ll also notice subtle timing: the syllable with /zɔr/ must be pronounced promptly before the /p/ onset, otherwise the word may blur into /ədˈzɔpʃən/. Focus on crisp /z/ release and avoiding a heavy /r/ in non-rhotic accents that could push the second syllable too early or late.
Adsorption uniquely places emphasis on the boundary between phases. Practically, you need to maintain a clear /ˈzɔr/ sequence before the /p/ and /ʃ/ cluster, and ensure the final /ən/ is a light, unstressed schwa. In many technical readings, speakers subtly reduce the second vowel before the final consonant; maintaining a stable /ən/ helps keep the word audibly precise in dense scientific prose.
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- US: emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ in the /zɔr/ portion; keep the /ɔr/ diphthong broad and clear. Avoid reducing /ɔr/ to /ɔː/ unless you’re aiming for a non-rhotic sound. - UK: often non-rhotic; ensure the /zɔː/ contains a long, tense vowel, and the /pʃən/ lands crisply after the /z/. Final /n/ tends to be lighter and shorter. - AU: tends to be non-rhotic in casual speech with a slightly more centralized vowel quality. Maintain the /zɔː/ or /zɔpʃ/ sequence with a clean alveolar contact for /z/ and a ready /p/ transition. IPA cues keep you aligned: US /ˌædˈzɔrpˌʃən/, UK /ˌædˈzɔːpʃən/, AU /ˌædˈzɔːpʃən/. - Common pitfalls include over-rolling the /r/ in rhotic accents and shortening the /ɔː/ vowel; counteract with slow, controlled practice focusing on the vowel length and tongue height.
Adsorption derives from the Latin ad- meaning toward or at, combined with sorption from the verb sorbere (to suck in, absorb). The suffix -tion marks a noun of action. The term formed in the 20th century within physical chemistry to distinguish surface-based adhesion from bulk absorption. Early scientists studying surface phenomena in catalysis and chromatography adopted adsorption to describe how molecules accumulate on interfaces, rather than penetrating a solid or liquid. While sorption as a general term appeared earlier, adsorption was crystallized to emphasize surface confinement. The concept progressed alongside breakthroughs in material science, leading to formal models like Langmuir adsorption isotherms (1918), which quantify how adsorbate molecules occupy surface sites at a given temperature and pressure. As surface science advanced, adsorption encompassed physisorption (weak van der Waals forces) and chemisorption (strong chemical bonds). The term remains central in environmental engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology. The first known uses appear in early 20th-century chemical literature, but the idea of surface attachment has roots in 19th-century studies of adsorption phenomena observed in gas-solid systems. Modern textbooks trace adsorption as a fundamental interface process, critical to understanding filters, catalysts, and sensor surfaces.
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Words that rhyme with "adsorption"
-ion sounds
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