4 syllables: co, he, ren, cy. Stress on he.
koh-HIR-uhn-see
/koʊˈhɪɹənsi/
coherency is pronounced koh-HIR-uhn-see (/koʊˈhɪɹənsi/). It has four syllables (co-he-ren-cy), with the stress on "he". Coherency refers to the quality of being logical, consistent, and well-integrated, such that parts fit together to form a clear overall message or structure. It emphasizes logical flow, clear connections, and seamless progression of ideas. In practice, coherency is achieved through organized argumentation, precise terminology, and cohesive sentence construction that guides the reader or listener smoothly from point to point.
Coherency refers to the quality of being logical, consistent, and well-integrated, such that parts fit together to form a clear overall message or structure. It emphasizes logical flow, clear connections, and seamless progression of ideas. In practice, coherency is achieved through organized argumentation, precise terminology, and cohesive sentence construction that guides the reader or listener smoothly from point to point.
- You might neutralize the second syllable, leading to /koʊhɪˈrɛnsi/ vs /koʊˈhɪrənsi/. Keep the middle vowel distinct as /ɪ/ and ensure /r/ is voiced. - Slowing or over-articulating the final /si/ makes the word sound stilted; aim for a crisp, fast ending with a light /s/ and clear /i/. - Misplacing stress toward the third syllable (coh-ER-en-cy) reduces coherency. Practice with the stress on the second syllable: /koʊˈhɪrənsi/.
"Her essay demonstrated remarkable coherency, with each paragraph building on the last."
"To improve coherency, the speaker used clear transition phrases between sections."
"The report's coherency suffered when key data were omitted, breaking the narrative."
US: /koʊˈhɪrənsi/; UK: /kəʊˈhɪərənsɪ/; AU: /koʊˈhɪərənsi/. The stress falls on the second syllable: he-RAN-cy, with a soft r in many American and Australian pronunciations. Start with a clear /koʊ/ on the first syllable, then a crisp /ˈhɪr/ or /ˈhɪə/ sequence, then /ənsi/. Tip: keep the /r/ light in non-rhotic varieties and ensure the second vowel is a reduced schwa in unstressed positions. The final -cy is pronounced as /si/ or /sɪ/ depending on accent; in US typically /si/ and in some UK/AU variants closer to /sɪ/.
Common mistakes: 1) Stressing the wrong syllable (co-HEER-ən-see vs co-he-REN-cy). 2) Slurring the second syllable leading to /koʊhɪɹrə/. 3) Pronouncing the final -cy as /si/ too strongly or as /sɪ/ inconsistently. Correction: place primary stress on the second syllable: /koʊˈhɪrənsi/, keep the /r/ light and avoid a strong schwa before -n. Practice with a short pause after /koʊ/ to ensure clean articulation of /ˈhɪr/. Lip and tongue posture should be relaxed for /oʊ/ and lifted for /ɪr/.
US tends to pronounced /koʊˈhɪrənsi/ with an rhotacized r and clear /ɪ/; UK commonly /kəʊˈhɪərənsɪ/ with non-rhotic /r/ and a nearer to /ə/ in first syllable; AU sits between, /koʊˈhɪərənsi/ with light r and a longer /ɪə/ in the second syllable. Note: Australians often merge /ɪə/ into /ɪə/ or /ɪə/. Vowel quality of the first syllable can shift slightly to /əʊ/ in careful speech; rhoticity is more pronounced in US.
It combines a stressed mid-phoneme cluster /ˈhɪr/ with a near-syllable sequence that can blur the schwa in the unstressed middle syllable. The challenge is maintaining a distinct /ɪ/ in the stressed second syllable, while not overpronouncing the final /si/ or /si/. Additionally, non-rhotic accents may reduce the /r/ in the middle, changing the perceived rhythm and requiring careful timing of the nucleus and coda. Practicing isolated /ˈhɪr/ + /ənsi/ helps solidify the rhythm.
A unique aspect is the discreet, lightly articulated /r/ and the secondary stress tendency on the second syllable depending on accent. The string /hɪrən/ can produce a rapid schwa-like vowel before n in casual speech, which may blur into a reduced vowel. Focus on the clear nucleus /ɪ/ in the stressed syllable and ensure the second syllable lands with a crisp /r/ or its gliding variant, followed by a clear /si/ ending.
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- US: rhotic /r/ is pronounced; ensure /r/ is clearly articulated before the schwa nucleus. - UK: non-rhotic; the /r/ may be silent; the second syllable has a clearer /ɪə/ or /ɪər/ depending on speaker. - AU: tends toward a semi-rhotic approach; the middle vowel can be a diphthong; maintain a light /r/ sound. Reference IPA: US /koʊˈhɪrənsi/, UK /kəʊˈhɪərənsɪ/, AU /koʊˈhɪərənsi/. Focus on keeping the nucleus stoically short and the final /si/ clean; practice with minimal pairs demonstrating rhoticity differences.
Coherency derives from the French coherénce (later coherency), from Latin coherere, meaning to stick together, combine, or be of one piece. Coherence itself comes from Old French coherence, based on Latin coherentia, from co- + haerere ‘to stick, cling.’ The suffix -ency marks a state or quality. The word entered English via academic and literary usage in the 17th–18th centuries, aligning with emerging discussions of rhetoric, argumentation, and logical structure. Early uses framed coherence as a property of ideas that “hold together” within an argument, discourse, or narrative. Over time, coherency became a recognized variant spelling of coherence, though coherency tends to be more common in American English in earlier periods and in technical writing. The noun’s sense broadened with psychology, linguistics, and information theory, where the emphasis shifted to systematized interrelations and consistent relationships among components. First known uses appear in scholarly texts discussing logical consistency and textual unity, with later appearances in cognitive science and communication studies, reflecting a growing interest in how ideas are interconnected and presented with clarity.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "coherency" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "coherency"
-ncy sounds
-te) sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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