3 syllables: clar, i, fy. Stress on clar.
KLER-uh-feye
/ˈklɛɹəˌfaɪ/
clarify is pronounced KLER-uh-feye (/ˈklɛɹəˌfaɪ/). It has three syllables (clar-i-fy), with the stress on "clar". Clarify means to make a statement or situation clear and easy to understand by removing ambiguity. It involves restating or explaining details so others perceive the intended meaning accurately. In professional and academic contexts, clarifying questions or summaries help ensure shared understanding and prevent misinterpretation.
Clarify means to make a statement or situation clear and easy to understand by removing ambiguity. It involves restating or explaining details so others perceive the intended meaning accurately. In professional and academic contexts, clarifying questions or summaries help ensure shared understanding and prevent misinterpretation.
"Please clarify what you meant in your last email."
"Could you clarify the steps before we proceed?"
"The supervisor asked me to clarify the objectives of the project."
Pronounce as /ˈklær.ɪ.faɪ/ in US/UK/AU. Primary stress on the first syllable: CLAR-i-fy. Start with an open back lax vowel in the first syllable, then a short /ɪ/ in the second, and end with /aɪ/ as in 'eye'. Move your tongue quickly between /æ/ and /ɪ/ before gliding into /aɪ/. Keep the final /faɪ/ clearly separated from the preceding syllables to avoid blending. You can hear precise timings in native speech models or Pronounce/Forvo references.
Common errors include reducing the first syllable to a schwa or producing /klærɪˌfaɪ/ with weak primary stress on the first syllable. Some speakers blend the second and third syllables too tightly, producing /ˈklærɪfaɪ/ without a distinct /-ɪ-/ between. To correct: emphasize the first syllable with /æ/-like quality, insert a clear /ɪ/ before /faɪ/, and maintain crisp boundaries between syllables: /ˈklær.ɪ.faɪ/. Listening to native models and practicing slow, deliberate enunciation helps fix these patterns.
In US, UK, and AU, the primary stress remains on the first syllable /ˈklær/. However, vowel quality shifts subtly: US often uses a more open /æ/ in the first vowel; UK may present a slightly closer /æ/ with less rhotacization in non-rhotic accents; AU follows a similar pattern to UK but may have a flatter /æ/ and quicker overall pace. The final /faɪ/ tends to have a tighter diphthong movement in American speech and a more rounded, steady glide in some UK and AU varieties. Overall, the differences are slight and intelligibility remains high across varieties.
The difficulty lies in the sequence of alternating vowel sounds and the need to keep distinct syllabic boundaries: /klær/ then /ɪ/ and finally /faɪ/. The first syllable uses a low-front vowel that can be close in American fast speech to /æ/; the mid vowel /ɪ/ in the second syllable can be shortened in rapid speech, risking blending with /faɪ/. Additionally, the /r/ coloring in rhotic and non-rhotic varieties affects perceived clarity; ensure an audible /r/ where applicable, or avoid overly linking the /r/ in non-rhotic accents. Clear articulation of each vowel and a light, crisp /f/ helps clarity.
Does the 'clarify' have a vowel length contrast that matters in English? Answer: English has relatively short vowel sounds in the unstressed positions; in clarify, the first syllable 'clær' uses a short, lax /æ/. The second vowel is a short /ɪ/, usually shorter than the primary stressed vowels in longer words. The final /aɪ/ is a rising diphthong with a characteristic gliding movement from /a/ to /ɪ/ toward /ɪ/ before the /f/. The clarity comes from ensuring each vowel is distinct and not run together in rapid speech.
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Clarify comes from the Latin clarus, meaning bright, clear, or evident, and the suffix -fy, which means to make or become. The term originates in Latin and was adopted into English in the late Middle Ages, where it carried the sense of making something clear or bright in a figurative sense. Over time, clarify broadened to include making statements, explanations, or intentions understandable. The sense of reducing ambiguity and ensuring communications are precise became dominant in scholarly, legal, and scientific writing by the 17th–19th centuries. First known use in English appears in early modern texts, where scholars aimed to render arguments explicit and unambiguous. The evolution of the word tracks a shift from literal brightness to figurative clarity in thought and expression, aligning with broader developments in logic, rhetoric, and education. Today, clarify is widely used in everyday language and professional discourse to indicate the act of removing vagueness or confusion through precise explanation or rephrasing.
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Words that rhyme with "clarify"
-ify sounds
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