3 syllables: col, loid, al. Stress on loid.
kuh-LOY-duhl
/kəˈlɔɪdəl/
colloidal is pronounced kuh-LOY-duhl (/kəˈlɔɪdəl/). It has three syllables (col-loid-al), with the stress on "loid". Colloidal describes a substance consisting of microscopic particles dispersed evenly throughout another substance, forming a stable mixture that is not truly dissolved. It’s a particle-size regime between true solutions and suspensions, typically ranging from 1 to 1000 nanometers. The term is common in chemistry and materials science, especially when discussing colloids like gel, gelation, and colloidal suspensions.
Colloidal describes a substance consisting of microscopic particles dispersed evenly throughout another substance, forming a stable mixture that is not truly dissolved. It’s a particle-size regime between true solutions and suspensions, typically ranging from 1 to 1000 nanometers. The term is common in chemistry and materials science, especially when discussing colloids like gel, gelation, and colloidal suspensions.
- You: misplace stress on the second syllable or flatten the /ɔɪ/ into a simple /aɪ/; fix by forcing a true diphthong /ɔɪ/ and primary stress on the first syllable. - You: over-say the final /əl/ as /əl/ or drop the /d/; practice ending as /dəl/. - You: merge the middle /ɔɪ/ with surrounding vowels, giving /ˈkɒləɪdəl/ rather than /ˈkɒləˌɔɪdəl/; practice syllable-by-syllable with the middle diphthong clearly separated.
"The scientist prepared a colloidal solution by dispersing nanoparticles in water."
"Colloidal silver was used historically for its antimicrobial properties."
"Colloidal gels exhibit unique rheological behavior under stress."
Pronounce it as /ˈkɒləˌɔɪdəl/ (UK) or /ˈkɑːləˌɔɪdəl/ (US). The word has three syllables: kol-loid-al, with primary stress on the first syllable and secondary stress on the middle. The /ɔɪ/ diphthong in the middle is a key feature, sounding like 'oil' in the second syllable; finish with a clear, light /dəl/. An audio reference can help you hear the two-part stress shift and the /ɔɪ/ sequence.
Common errors: misplacing the primary stress, saying /ˈkɒləɪdəl/ with a wrong mid-vowel, or flattening the /ɔɪ/ into a simple /ɔː/ or /aɪ/. Another mistake is pronouncing the ending as /-əl/ rather than a clear /-dəl/. Correction: keep /ɔɪ/ as a true diphthong in the second syllable, stress the first syllable, and finish with a rounded /l/ followed by a light /dəl/.
In US English, the first syllable often carries primary stress: /ˈkɑlˌɔɪdəl/; the /ɔɪ/ is prominent. UK English tends toward /ˈkɒlɔɪdəl/ with a shorter /ɒ/ and strong /ɔɪ/ diphthong; rhoticity is less pronounced in some accents. Australian English generally resembles UK patterns but with a broader /ɒ/ and slightly higher vowel in /ɔɪ/. The ending /-dəl/ remains similar across accents, though vowel duration can vary.
Difficulties include correctly forming the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, balancing stress between the first and second syllables, and ensuring the final /dəl/ is not reduced. The combination of a fronted /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ vowel, a mid-high diphthong /ɔɪ/, and a lingering /l/ can trip learners who over-articulate or under-articulate the middle diphthong. Practicing the three parts slowly helps.
Is the /l/ before the /ɔɪ/ in colloidal more vocalized than the final /l/? It’s natural for the /l/ in the syllable boundary to be a light, alveolar lateral approximant, but many speakers make the preceding /l/ slightly darker before the diphthong, leading to /kɒl-ɔɪd-əl/ with a clear break between the second and third syllables.
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US: /ˈkɑːləˌɔɪdəl/ or /ˈkɒləˌɔɪdəl/ with strong /ɔɪ/; non-rhotic variants less common. UK: /ˈkɒləʊˌɪdəl/ or /ˈkɒləɪdə/ depending on speaker; AU: /ˈkɒləˌɔɪdə(l)/ with a slightly broader vowel. Emphasize the first syllable and maintain the /ɔɪ/ in the middle; lip rounding for /ɔ/ and the two-part vowel for /ɔɪ/. Vowel length may vary; keep the diphthong dynamic rather than a static vowel.
Colloidal comes from the Latin colloidalis, from Greek kollodos meaning glue-like, derived from coll- ‘glue’ (kolla, kolla-). The earliest scientific usage traces to the 19th century as scientists described mixtures with dispersed particles that do not settle quickly, bridging true solutions and suspensions. The term colloid emerged to capture systems where particles are small enough to remain suspended by Brownian motion, yet large enough to scatter light (Tyndall effect). The concept matured through Roger Bendor, Thomas Graham, and later the general colloid science developments, with the first formal definition appearing in mid-1800s literature as colloids. The evolution reflects the need to classify matter by particle size and stability of dispersion, beyond solubility alone. Modern colloid science includes nanoparticles, aerosols, and gels, spanning chemistry, physics, and materials science, with Verdier and others popularizing colloids in textbooks by the late 20th century.
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Words that rhyme with "colloidal"
-oil sounds
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