3 syllables: Clair, voy, ance. Stress on voy.
kler-VOY-uhns
/klɛˈɹvɔɪəns/
Clairvoyance is pronounced kler-VOY-uhns (/klɛˈɹvɔɪəns/). It has three syllables (Clair-voy-ance), with the stress on "voy". Clairvoyance is the alleged ability to perceive events or information beyond ordinary sensory contact, typically through extrasensory means. It denotes clear, perceptive insight into future or hidden matters. As a noun, it appears in discussing paranormal claims, fortune-telling, or exceptional intuition.
nounClairvoyance is the alleged ability to perceive events or information beyond ordinary sensory contact, typically through extrasensory means. It denotes clear, perceptive insight into future or hidden matters. As a noun, it appears in discussing paranormal claims, fortune-telling, or exceptional intuition.
"Her clairvoyance convinced her that the missing ring would be found at the riverside."
"The author describes the detective's clairvoyance as a form of heightened intuition, not supernatural certainty."
"Investors dismissed the idea of clairvoyance, preferring data-driven analysis over psychic readings."
Clairvoyance is pronounced /klɛərˈvɔɪ.əns/ in UK and US English. The primary stress falls on the second syllable: clair-VOY-ance, with the first syllable sounding like 'clair' (as in clear) and the 'voy' part like 'voy' in 'voyage.' In IPA: US/UK /klɛərˈvɔɪ.əns/; the 'clair' uses a diphthong /ɛə/ or /eə/ depending on the speaker, followed by /r/ in rhotic accents. The final '-ance' ends with /əns/. Audio reference: [Comparable words: clairvoyant, clairaudience].
Common mistakes: 1) Dropping the /r/ in non-rhotic accents leading to /kleɪˈvɔɪ.əns/ or /kleɪˈvɔɪ.ən/. 2) Misplacing stress on the first syllable (CLAIR-voh-ance) instead of clair-VOY-ance. 3) Mispronouncing 'voy' as a hard 'voy' like 'voy' in 'voyage' with an overly long /ɔɪ/. Correction: keep /vɔɪ/ as a tight diphthong, ensure the second syllable carries primary stress, and articulate the final /əns/ quickly without turning it into /ɪns/.
US: rhotic /klɜːrˈvɔɪəns/ with a clear /r/; UK: /klɛːˈvɔɪ.əns/ where /r/ is non-rhotic and the /ɛə/ can be a longer diphthong; AU: often /ˈklɛəˈvɔɪəns/ with non-rhoticity and a broader vowel quality, sometimes with slight vowel raising in /ɛə/ and /ɔɪ/ sequences. The main differences: rhotic r in US, vowel quality in the first syllable, and vowel sequences in the middle (voy) kept as /ɔɪ/ across. In all, ensure the /vɔɪ/ cluster remains tight and the ending /əns/ is unstressed.
Key challenges: the initial 'clair' yields a vowel quality that blends /eə/ or /ɛə/ with an r-sound in rhotic accents; the /ɔɪ/ diphthong in 'voy' requires a smooth glide; the final 'ance' ends with a nasal + unvoiced stop that can blur in fluency. The sequence /ˈklær.vɔɪ.əns/ or /klɛəˈvɔɪ.əns/ tests accurate syllable timing and accurate consonant endings. Practice the exact two-stress pattern and the crisp /r/ or its absence depending on your accent.
Clairvoyance blends 'clair' and 'voy' into two syllables that carry a short-vowel-like 'clair' with a long 'voy' vowel; the 'voy' part is stressed in the second syllable, creating a distinctive stress rhythm: clair-VOY-ance. The tricky point is transitioning from the silent or light 'r' in non-rhotic accents to the pronounced 'r' in rhotic accents, and maintaining the /ɔɪ/ diphthong clearly between syllables.
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US: rhotic, stronger /r/; UK: non-rhotic, clearer non-rhotic schwa before /ən/; AU: non-rhotic; vowel quality tends to broader /ɛə/ initial and a bright /ɔɪ/ in the middle. Vowel length: the /ɜː/ in some transcriptions is less common; instead, use /klɛəˈvɔɪəns/ with /eə/ or /ɛə/ depending on speaker. Consonants: maintain alveolar touch for /l/ and a crisp /v/; avoid over-aspirating the /v/ and ensure the /n/ before 'ce' is nasal.
Clairvoyance comes from the French clair (clear) and voyance (vision, seeing). The Latin root is vidēre (to see). The term likely entered English via 18th- to 19th-century occult and spiritualist discourse, aligning with other clair- words like clairaudience (clear hearing). Early usage appears in translations and writings on occultism, where it described a supposed enhanced perceptual faculty beyond ordinary senses. Over time, clairvoyance broadened from strictly paranormal claims to descriptive language for heightened foresight in non-supernatural contexts. In modern usage, it can appear in both skeptical and popular contexts, often tied to psychic phenomena or poetic metaphor for acute insight. First known printed appearances in English cluster in the 1700s–1800s, with the term becoming more common in the 19th century through spiritualist movements and comparative studies of psychic phenomena. The word’s evolution reflects a shift from formal metaphysical claims to a more general metaphor for perceptive guesswork or intuitive foresight.
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Words that rhyme with "Clairvoyance"
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