3 syllables: Cen, ti, pedes. Stress on Cen.
SEN-tip-eedz
/ˈsɛn.tɪ.piːdz/
Centipedes is pronounced SEN-tip-eedz (/ˈsɛn.tɪ.piːdz/). It has three syllables (Cen-ti-pedes), with the stress on "Cen". Centipedes are long, many-legged arthropods with a segmented body and a pair of antennae. This noun refers to creatures that typically have 15–177 pairs of legs, depending on species, and move quickly across the ground. In everyday use, the term also appears in biology and education contexts, often as a plural noun for multiple individual centipede specimens.
nounCentipedes are long, many-legged arthropods with a segmented body and a pair of antennae. This noun refers to creatures that typically have 15–177 pairs of legs, depending on species, and move quickly across the ground. In everyday use, the term also appears in biology and education contexts, often as a plural noun for multiple individual centipede specimens.
How to Pronounce Centipedes
"The garden inspection revealed several centipedes scurrying under fallen leaves."
"Researchers studied centipedes to understand their rapid leg movements."
"A centipede's venomous bite is typically mild to humans, though it can cause irritation."
Pronounce as /ˈsɛn.tɪ.piːdz/ (US) or /ˈsen.tɪ.piːdz/ (UK/AU). The first syllable is stressed: cen- with a short e like 'bed'. The middle syllable is a reduced /tɪ/ and the final syllable carries /piːdz/ with a long 'ee' followed by a voiced 'dz' final. Place your tongue high for the /iː/ and voice the final /dz/ clearly.
Common errors: misplacing primary stress on the second syllable (cen-TI-pedes) and mispronouncing the final /dz/ as /d/ or /z/. Correction: keep the stress on the first syllable: /ˈsɛn.tɪ.piːdz/. For the ending, ensure you voice the /d/ then /z/ in a single affricate feel: tie together the /iː/ with the /dz/.
US: /ˈsɛn.tɪ.piːdz/ with a rhotic but the final is voiced /dz/. UK/AU: /ˈsen.tɪ.piːdz/, similar final cluster; vowel qualities are similar but UK may be slightly shorter /ɛ/ in the first vowel depending on dialect. The key is maintaining the first-syllable stress and crisp /t/ before the long /iː/.
Difficulties center on the triplet of sounds: the /ˈsɛn/ onset with a short vowel, the /tɪ/ reduced middle syllable, and the final /piːdz/ where you need a long vowel followed by a voiced affricate /dz/. Getting the right timing and preventing a jarring /t/ and /d/ sequence is crucial. Focus on keeping air flow steady and voicing continuous into the final cluster.
The word combines a stressed first syllable with a long vowel in the third syllable and a final voiced cluster /dz/, which can tempt speakers to shorten the ending or reduce vowel length. Emphasize the full /iː/ vowel before the final /dz/ and keep the single, even tempo across all three syllables for clarity.
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US: rhotic, but centipedes ends with /dz/ and the /r/ is not involved. UK: similar structure; vowel durations are slightly shorter in some dialects. AU: tends to preserve rhoticity in careful speech; the vowel in -ped- remains a clean /ɪ/ before the long /iː/. IPA anchors: /ˈsɛn.tɪ.piːdz/ (US, UK, AU). Stress stays on the first syllable; avoid doubling the second syllable.
Centipede traces to Late Latin centipeda, from Latin centum meaning hundred and péda from Greek pod- (foot). The word entered English in the 17th century, originally to describe a hypothetical hundred-footed creature, aligning with ancient fables. Despite the name, most centipedes have far fewer than a hundred legs; the term stuck as a general descriptor for large, many-legged myriapods. The plural centipedes follows English pluralization by adding -es. Over time, centipede became a standard zoological term within natural history and classroom science, signifying the diverse group of predatory myriapods known for their elongated bodies and numerous legs. Etymology highlights include its composite construction from centi- (hundred) and -ped(e) (foot), plus Greek influence on the root ped- used in related terms like podophagous, emphasizing the foot/leg morphology central to these organisms.
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Words that rhyme with "Centipedes"
-ded sounds
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