Annoy means to irritate or bother someone, provoking mild anger or displeasure. It often results from repeated, slight provocations or unforeseen annoyances. In use, it can describe actions, noises, or behaviors that grate on a person’s patience, creating a feeling of annoyance or nuisance.
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- You might default to a short, clipped first syllable /əˈnɔɪ/ where the /ə/ loses its weak vowel color; practice maintaining a subtle schwa before the diphthong rather than an abrupt onset. - Commonly you’ll over-round the lips, producing an exaggerated /ɔɪ/; aim for moderate rounding that transitions smoothly into the /ɪ/ glide. - The final consonant cluster is simply the /j/ glide into a soft /ɚ/ or vowel; avoid a hard off-glide; keep the /ɔɪ/ continuous and the tongue relaxed at the end. - In rapid speech, you might reduce /ˈnɔɪ/ to /nɔɪ/ or drop the y-glide; maintain the full diphthong to preserve recognizable pronunciation.
- US: Keep a fuller, rounded /ɔɪ/ with a pronounced offglide toward /ɪ/. - UK: Slightly crisper /ɔɪ/ with less lip rounding; ensure the /ə/ is quickly recovered before the diphthong. - AU: Similar to US but with a marginally broader vowel, more open jaw, and smoother transition into the /ɪ/ component. - IPA references: US /əˈnɔɪ/, UK /əˈnɔɪ/, AU /əˈnɔɪ/. - Tip: Practice saying 'now' but insert a quick, light schwa before it to feel the /ə/ in the first syllable.
"The constant buzzing from the lamp began to annoy her after a while."
"Please stop tapping your pen; it’s starting to annoy everyone in the room."
"The weather delays the commute, which really annoys me."
"His snide remarks at the meeting annoyed the whole team."
Annoy originates from the Old French anonier, meaning to trouble or to injure, later influenced by the Middle English annoyen. Its earliest senses included to harass or to harry, evolving in the 16th century toward the modern sense of causing mild bother or irritation. The word likely emerges from Latin animum agnoscere via a blending of forms that conveyed “to trouble the mind.” Over time, English usage narrowed from broader meaning of harassment to the everyday sense of provocation or nuisance, commonly paired with object or situation that “annoys” someone. The semantic shift reflects social expectations around politeness and tolerance, transforming from a stronger verb in earlier centuries to a milder, everyday verb used in casual and professional registers. The spelling—annoy—preserves the vowel pattern of earlier variants while final -oy signals a long o sound in most dialects. First known written uses appear in early modern English texts, with the sense serving as a descriptor for repetitive irritants and pet peeves that disturb one’s composure. As globalization and digital communication intensified, annoy acquired broader contexts (noise, delays, interruptions, conflicting opinions). Today, it remains a versatile verb for interpersonal friction, often paired with gerunds or noun phrases (annoying music, annoying delays) and carries slightly pejorative connotations depending on intensity and tone.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "annoy" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "annoy" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "annoy"
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Pronounce as ə-NOY with the primary stress on the second syllable. The first syllable is a schwa sound, /ə/, followed by a stressed diphthong /ˈnɔɪ/ that combines /n/ + /ɔɪ/. While speaking, shape the lips toward rounding for the /ɔ/ and glide into the /ɪ/ position of /ɪ/ only in the offglide, keeping the mouth slightly open. In IPA: US /əˈnɔɪ/, UK /əˈnɔɪ/, AU /əˈnɔɪ/. Audio reference: imagine the way you say “now” but with a preceding soft vowel.”
Two common mistakes are: (1) flattening the /ɔɪ/ diphthong into a pure /ɔ/ or /oʊ/, which makes it sound like 'anole' or 'annole'; (2) misplacing stress, pronouncing it as a-NOY or ending with a sharp offglide instead of a smooth /ɔɪ/. Correct by practicing the diphthong as a two-part glide: start with /ɔ/ and smoothly glide to /ɪ/ without breaking the air. Keep the /n/ clear and avoid adding an extra syllable. IPA cues: /əˈnɔɪ/.
Across accents, the /ɔɪ/ diphthong is stable in US/UK/AU, but vowel quality can shift slightly. US tends to have a stronger center of gravity on the offglide, around /ɪ/ more than /iː/. UK RP tends toward a crisper /ɔɪ/ with less lip rounding than US, and AU often preserves a broader vowel quality with gentle rounding. The initial schwa /ə/ remains weak in all. Stress remains on the second syllable in all. IPA: US /əˈnɔɪ/, UK /əˈnɔɪ/, AU /əˈnɔɪ/.
The challenge lies in the /ɔɪ/ diphthong that blends an open-mid back vowel with a high front element, requiring a precise tongue tilt and smooth lip glide. Additionally, the weak first syllable /ə/ can be swallowed in fast speech, obscuring the phonetic cues. Finally, the consonant cluster begins with /n/ tightly pressed against the following vowel, so you must avoid an extra alveolar release. Focus on the two-part glide from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ and keep the /ə/ unstressed.
A distinctive feature is the transition from a light, almost schwa-like first syllable to a prominent diphthong in the second syllable. This requires maintaining a relaxed jaw for /ə/ while forming a clear lip rounding and tongue position for /ɔɪ/. The word’s rhythm favors a quick, crisp second syllable; you’ll hear a small pause before the diphthong if enunciated carefully, which helps clarity in rapid speech.
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- Shadowing: Listen to native speakers reading sentences with 'annoy' and immediately imitate the rhythm, stressing the second syllable. - Minimal pairs: annoy vs. annoy? (pronounced similarly across dialects) clarify with other words: 'annoy' vs 'annoyed' vs 'annoying' to feel the root /nɔɪ/. - Rhythm: Place primary stress on the second syllable; practice tapping 1-2-3-4 while counting the syllables with a slight beat on the second syllable. - Stress: Ensure the /ɔɪ/ is clearly audible; don’t reduce it. - Recording: Record yourself saying sentences with 'annoy' to verify the /ə/ followed by /ˈnɔɪ/. - Context sentences: “That constant tick-tock clock annoys me.” “The long wait for service annoys the customers.” “Her comments annoyed him enough to leave early.”
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