Anullment is a legal term referring to a court ruling that a marriage or other contract is invalid and has no legal effect from the outset. It is distinct from divorce, as it treats the relationship as never having existed. The term is used in legal contexts and proceedings, and may also appear in discussions of civil or religious unions.
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- You might trip over the /ʌ/ in the second syllable; keep it as a short, open-mid back vowel and avoid a schwa-like /ə/ here. - The /l/ can be too strong, making the nucleus feel like /lɪ/; keep /l/ light and tucked under the tip of the tongue. - The ending /ment/ can sound like /mənt/ vs /mɪnt/; aim for /mənt/ with a short, clear /t/ at the end.
- US: rhotic accent doesn’t affect this word, but you’ll notice a slightly darker /ɜː/ in unstressed positions; UK: non-rhotic, so the r is silent and the vowel in the first syllable may be a touch shorter. AU: tends toward a brighter /æ/ or /ʌ/ depending on the region, and still uses a clear /ə/ for the first syllable. IPA references: /əˈnʌl.mənt/ in all three varieties, with minor vowel quality shifts. - Key tips: keep the second syllable stressed, keep the /l/ light, and end crisply with /nt/ rather than a nasalized or prolonged ending.
"- The couple filed for annulment after discovering there was no valid marriage due to a legal defect."
"- The court granted an annulment, effectively erasing the marriage from legal records."
"- Some jurisdictions require specific grounds for an annulment, such as fraud or coercion."
"- After years of dispute, an annulment was sought to resolve the contested union."
The term annulment derives from the Latin annullare, formed from the prefix ad- (to) or in- (toward) with nullus (nothing) and a suffix -are, yielding ‘to make nothing of’ or ‘to declare void.’ The English adoption tracks through Old French annuler, from Latin annullare, meaning ‘to make void’ or ‘nullify.’ In medieval and early modern legal contexts, annulment described nullifying marriages and other presumptively valid instruments. The sense broadened as civil law developed, but in modern usage it remains chiefly a legal remedy for invalidating a marriage from the outset rather than dissolving a recognized union. First attested in English in the 15th century in legal Latin loan-forms, the word gained traction in courts handling matrimonial disputes, eventually becoming a standard label in family law, ecclesiastical, and civil jurisdictions where applicable. The pronunciation settled into two primary syllabic goals: an-NUL-ment in common stress, with silent or light vowels in rapid speech; the form reflects a typical Latin-based noun ending -ment and a root that passed through French, then English, while maintaining its core semantic core of nullity or voiding a contract.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "annulment" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "annulment" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "annulment"
-ent sounds
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Pronounce it as ə-NUL-ment, with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /əˈnʌl.mənt/ for UK and US, and /əˈnʌl.mənt/ in Australian usage. Start with a schwa, move quickly to a clear /ˈnʌl/ cluster, then end with a light /mənt/. Think of the central vowel in “ago” for the first syllable and the rhotic-less ‘nul’ sound in non-rhotic varieties. Listen to the pronunciation in standard dictionaries or Forvo entries to feel the subtle vowels.”,
Common errors: (1) misplacing stress, saying a-NUL-ment or a-nul-MENT; place primary stress on the second syllable: /əˈnʌl.mənt/. (2) Slurring the /l/ into the /n/ creating /nʌn.mənt/ instead of /ˈnʌl/. (3) Overemphasizing the /l/ making it a clearer /l/ into ‘ann-ull-ment.’ Correction: keep the /l/ lightly touching the alveolar ridge, then release into the /m/ with a small lip seal for /ˈnʌl/; practice with minimal pairs like “nun” vs “null” to feel the difference.”,
In US and UK accents, the second syllable carries strong primary stress: ə-ˈnəl-mənt (/əˈnʌl.mənt/). US rhoticity can influence the preceding schwa, but the /r/ is not present here; UK typically non-rhotic, so /əˈnʌl.mənt/—the /r/ is silent. Australian tends to reduce vowels slightly and maintain a clear /ə/ in the first syllable, with strong stress on the second. Overall, the core /ˈnʌl/ nucleus stays consistent; the main variations are subtle vowel quality and syllable timing.”,
Two main challenges: (1) the /nʌl/ cluster requires the short, clipped /n/ followed by the dark /ʌ/ and a light /l/ before a clear /mənt/, which can be tricky when rushing speech. (2) The final /mənt/ relies on a quick, rounded lip (for /m/) into a clean alveolar stop /t/ without adding extra vowels. Slow down to segment the syllables, practice with tongue-tulse to maintain alveolar contact, and use a mirror to watch lip shape.”,
Annulment contains a subtle but critical vowel contrast: the second syllable’s /əl/ is a reduced schwa plus an /l/; many speakers produce an /ʊl/ or /ʌl/ instead of a clean /əl/. The best test is to say “an-ull-ment” aloud slowly, then tune to /əˈnʌl.mənt/ by keeping the /ə/ before the /l/ light and letting the /l/ stay short. Also ensure the final /nt/ is crisp, not a nasalized or drawn-out ending.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "annulment"!
- Shadowing: listen to a 10-15 second utterance of annuLment in a legal reading; repeat exactly, matching tempo and intonation. - Minimal pairs: null/mull, nun/none to calibrate the /ʌl/ vs /ən/ transition. - Rhythm: practice iambic flow: da-DUM da-DUM, with stress on the second syllable. - Stress: emphasize the /ˈnʌl/ nucleus; avoid weakening the second syllable. - Recording: record yourself reading sentences with “annulment” and compare to a reference; note any over-emphasis on /a/ or misplacement of stress. - Context practice: parallel sentences like “The annulment was granted after examination of grounds.”
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