2 syllables: An, nul. Stress on An.
AN-uhl
/ˈænəl/
Annul is pronounced AN-uhl (/ˈænəl/). It has two syllables (An-nul), with the stress on "An". Annul is a verb meaning to legally void or cancel something, especially a marriage, contract, or law. It conveys negation or invalidation of validity, often through an official act or ruling. The term implies erasing continuing effects rather than merely suspending them, returning the situation to its prior state as if the action never occurred.
verbAnnul is a verb meaning to legally void or cancel something, especially a marriage, contract, or law. It conveys negation or invalidation of validity, often through an official act or ruling. The term implies erasing continuing effects rather than merely suspending them, returning the situation to its prior state as if the action never occurred.
- Misplacing the primary stress on the first syllable: You’ll hear many say AN-nul; correct to ə-NOOL with emphasis on the second syllable. - Reducing the second syllable to /əl/ or an indistinct /l/; keep the long vowel or clear vowel quality in /nuː/ or /nʌ/ depending on accent. - Swallowing the /n/ sound before /l/ or blending too quickly; ensure the /n/ has a crisp release into /l/. Correction tips: practice with a minimal pair set (annul vs enull is not common; better with pool/pull), exaggerate the second syllable at first, then tempo down to natural cadence, record and compare.
How to Pronounce Annul
"The court moved to annul the marriage after new evidence emerged."
"They sought to annul the contract due to a breach of terms."
"The government decided to annul the old law and replace it with new regulations."
Pronounce as ə-NOOL. The first syllable is a weak schwa /ə/, then the stressed second syllable /ˈnuːl/ in US and UK accents, with the vowel sound a long oo as in 'pool'. The word rhymes with 'null' and 'pull'. In IPA: US/UK: əˈnʌl or əˈnuːl depending on speaker; standard is əˈnʌl in fast speech, but careful enunciation yields ˈnuːl for the second syllable.
Common errors include shortening the second syllable to /əl/ too quickly, producing a weak /n/ or misplacing stress on the first syllable. Some speakers may say ‘AN-yul’ with two syllables instead of a crisp second syllable. Correction: keep the second syllable compact and focused on the long /uː/ or clear /ʌ/ depending on accent; ensure the /n/ is syllabic and not swallowed by the following /l/. Use careful mouth shaping: lips rounded for /uː/ in the second syllable.
In US English, the second syllable often bears primary stress with a clear lag of /uː/ or sometimes a shorter /ʌ/ depending on region, yielding əˈnuːl or əˈnʌl. UK English tends to preserve the long /uː/ more distinctly in careful speech, sounding əˈnjuːl or əˈnʌl in faster speech. Australian English usually aligns with UK patterns but may exhibit a slightly more centralized vowel quality in casual speech, yielding əˈnʌl. Across all, rhotics don’t alter the vowel in the second syllable as the word is not rhotic-affected; focus is on the /nuː/ vs /nʌ/ distinction.
Difficulties come from the short first syllable with a weak schwa and the need to maintain a crisp, long vowel in the second syllable. For non-native speakers, differentiating /n/ from /l/ in sequence can blur, and the second syllable’s vowel length varies by accent. The word also hinges on timing: keep the /n/ and /l/ tightly connected to form /nuːl/ rather than cross-influencing with a heavier /l/. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on vowel length and consonant clarity.
In Annul, the /n/ is pronounced. The sequence is /əˈnuːl/ (US/UK). The /n/ is not silent; it links the first syllable to the long vowel in the second syllable. Some rapid speech can slightly de-emphasize the /n/, but it remains a pronounced consonant characteristic of a two-syllable construction. Be mindful not to drop the /n/ entirely, which would yield an incorrect one-syllable ‘ууl’ sound.
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US: strive for rhotic influence, but /r/ is not present; focus on /əˈnuːl/ with a clear /nuː/. UK: may produce /əˈnjuːl/ with a palatal hint before /n/, keep it tight. AU: similar to UK but vowel quality may be a bit lighter; keep /ˈnuː/ or /ˈnʌl/ depending on region. Vowel shifts: /uː/ vs /ʌ/ can vary; emphasize mouth shape: lips rounded for /uː/, jaw relaxed for schwa. IPA references: US əˈnuːl, UK əˈnjuːl, AU əˈnjuːl. Practical cues: neck and throat relaxation helps sustain /uː/ and prevent glottalization.
Annul comes from the Latin annulare, from ad- ‘toward’ + nullus ‘none, nothing’. The Latin term originally meant ‘to make nothing of’ or ‘to declare void.’ In medieval and early modern legal usage, annulare entered English via Old French annulier/annullier, carrying the sense of declaring a litigious action or marriage as invalid. The word’s legal nuances expanded over centuries to cover civil contracts and statutes, with the modern sense crystallizing around the idea of erasing legal validity. The root null- is seen in words like null, nullify, and nullable, conveying emptiness or absence. First known use in English dates to the 14th century, with evolving application from church proclamations to secular law. In contemporary usage, annul emphasizes a formal declaration that effects a return to an earlier non-existent state, rather than mere termination or suspension. The phonological form stabilized in the 18th–19th centuries as pronunciation shifted toward the two-syllable pattern we use today, with primary stress on the second syllable (ə-NOOL).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Annul" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Annul"
-ull sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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