2 syllables: check, list. Stress on check.
CHEK-list
/ˈtʃɛˌklɪst/
checklist is pronounced CHEK-list (/ˈtʃɛˌklɪst/). It has two syllables (check-list), with the stress on "check". A checklist is a concise, organized list of items, steps, or criteria to verify a task or process. It functions as a cognitive aid to ensure nothing is overlooked, improving consistency and accuracy in execution. Used across domains from aviation to daily routines, its use helps standardize procedures and reduce errors through simple, repeatable checks.
A checklist is a concise, organized list of items, steps, or criteria to verify a task or process. It functions as a cognitive aid to ensure nothing is overlooked, improving consistency and accuracy in execution. Used across domains from aviation to daily routines, its use helps standardize procedures and reduce errors through simple, repeatable checks.
- You may run /t/ and /l/ together too loosely, producing an indistinct boundary; fix by emphasizing a brief pause or crisp separation between /k/ and /l/. - Another common problem is lengthening the /ɪ/ in /lɪst/ or mispronouncing /st/ as /s/; practice the sequence /l/ + /ɪ/ + /st/ with a light touch on /l/ to avoid vowel spill. - Some learners drop the second syllable stress and say /ˈtʃɛk/ or /ˈtʃɛklɪst/ without clear rhythm; keep secondary stress light but present, with a crisp onset for /lɪst/.
"Before starting the flight, the pilot runs through the preflight checklist."
"The project manager kept a checklist to track all deliverables."
"She followed a shopping checklist to avoid buying unnecessary items."
Pronounce as /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪst/ in US and UK; AU follows the same pattern. Start with a stressed 'CHECK' /tʃɛk/, a short, high-front vowel, then an unstressed /lɪst/ with a light, crisp 'li' and final 'st.' The mouth starts with a tongue tip near the alveolar ridge for /tʃ/, then a quick transition to the alveolar /l/ and /s t/. IPA: US/UK: /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪst/; AU: /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪst/.
Common mistakes: swallowing or reducing the /i/ in /lɪst/ and misplacing the /t/ as a flap. Some learners blend the syllables too quickly, producing /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪs/ or /ˈtʃɛkliːst/. Correction: clearly articulate /l/ before the final /st/, ensure the /ɪ/ is a short, lax vowel, and hold the /t/ with a crisp alveolar stop. Practice by drilling the sequence /tʃ/ + /ɛ/ + /k/ + /l/ + /ɪ/ + /st/ slowly, then speed up.
US/UK: primary stress on the first syllable /ˈtʃɛk/ with a reduced second syllable; rhoticity affects only rhotic accents in connected speech after /r/ is present, not relevant here. AU tends to be non-rhotic in some speakers, but in many contexts still links /lɪst/ with a clear /l/ and /st/. Overall vowel quality for /ɛ/ tends to be slightly more open in US, slightly closer in UK and AU. IPA references: US/UK/AU: /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪst/.
The challenge lies in the rapid, smooth transition between /k/ and /l/ and the /l/ plus /st/ cluster, plus maintaining a short, clipped /ɪ/ in /lɪst/. For non-native speakers, coordinating the alveolar stops and liquid /l/ can cause a lapsed or elongated /l/ or an extraneous vowel in the cluster. Focus on crisp /l/ before /st/ and a tight mouth shape for /tʃ/ followed by a short /ɛ/. The “check” and “list” parts must remain distinct.
A distinctive feature is the clear separation between /tʃ/ (check) and /l/ (l is tensed), making the sequence /tʃɛk/ + /lɪst/ feel like two tightly connected but clearly segmented phonemes. The /t/ at the end of the first syllable is an unreleased or released alveolar stop depending on dialect; in careful speech, you use a released /t/ followed by a light /l/. IPA: /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪst/.
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US: US speakers tend to have a more open /ɛ/ in /tʃɛk/, a crisper /t/; UK: slightly tighter /ɛ/ and more precise /l/ articulation; AU: often non-rhotic in connected speech with slightly slower tempo but clear /l/ and /st/ clusters. Maintain /ˈtʃ/ onset, then /ɛ/ vowel, /k/ release, and an affricate-like /tʃ/ followed by a strong alveolar /l/; use IPA cues: /ˈtʃɛkˌlɪst/. Vowel quality differences: US US pocket tends to more open /ɛ/; UK closer to /e/ in some speakers; AU blends with broader vowel quality. Consonant detail: keep /t/ release strong, /l/ light contact, final /st/ crisp.
The term checklist is a compound of check, deriving from the Middle English cheken ‘to examine or prove,’ and list, from Old French lote, ultimately from Germanic roots related to ‘to pick up’ or ‘to collect.’ The combined form check + list emerged in the early 20th century, gaining traction in American English as complex tasks demanded structured verification. The idea of a reusable list aligns with process optimization and quality control movements that matured during industrialization. Early usage appears in aviation and military contexts where precise, repeatable steps were critical. Over time, ‘checklist’ spread into medicine, software, and everyday life as a general tool to promote memory, standardization, and safety through itemized verification. The word has since become a ubiquitous part of professional and personal routines, retaining its core meaning of a finite, auditable set of items to be confirmed or completed.
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Words that rhyme with "checklist"
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