3 syllables: com, plete, ness. Stress on plete.
kuhm-PLEET-nuhs
/kəmˈplitnəs/
completeness is pronounced kuhm-PLEET-nuhs (/kəmˈplitnəs/). It has three syllables (com-plete-ness), with the stress on "plete". Completeness refers to the state or quality of being complete or whole, with all necessary parts present. It implies thoroughness, fullness, and a lack of missing elements. In various contexts, it denotes totality and sufficiency, whether in data, reporting, or a finished product.
Completeness refers to the state or quality of being complete or whole, with all necessary parts present. It implies thoroughness, fullness, and a lack of missing elements. In various contexts, it denotes totality and sufficiency, whether in data, reporting, or a finished product.
"The completeness of the dataset ensures reliable analysis."
"Her report demonstrated great completeness, leaving no section unfinished."
"The project was praised for its completeness and attention to detail."
Pronounce as kəm-PLEET-nəs. Primary stress falls on the second syllable: /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/. Start with a relaxed /k/ plus /ə/ schwa, then the long E in “plete,” and end with the unstressed, soft /nəs/. If you’re listening, audio references map to Cambridge/Oxford pronunciations: US /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/, UK /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/, AU /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/. Mouth shape: keep the jaw fairly closed for /k/ and /m/, raise the tongue to create /pliːt/ with a clear long /iː/ before /t/.”
Common errors: flattening the /iː/ to a short /ɪ/, which reduces the “plete” vowel quality; mixing up /t/ and /s/ at the end in connected speech; and clipping the final /s/ so it sounds like /nəs/ without the final s sound. Corrections: ensure the /ˈpliːt/ has a tense, long /iː/ and a crisp /t/ before the final /nəs/. Practice holding the vowel through the syllable and enunciating the final /s/ as a soft sibilant rather than a voiceless stop.”
US: /kəˈmpliːt.nəs/ with rhoticity present in the /ɹ/ not central here; UK: /kəˈpliːt.nəs/ with non-rhotic tendency; AU: /kəˈmpliːt.nəs/ similar to UK but with: vowel slightly broader, and final /nəs/ may be thinner. In all, primary stress remains on the second syllable; the main vowel in the stressed syllable is the long /iː/ in “plete.” Note tempo and linking: US tends to connect syllables more quickly, UK may elide some schwa-initial consonants subtly, AU often has a slightly broader vowel quality in non-stressed vowels.”
Two core challenges: first, the long /iː/ in the stressed syllable can be mispronounced as a short /ɪ/ or reduced; second, the sequence /t.n/ can blur in fast speech, making the /t/ feel like a touch-and-go tap. Focus on sustaining the /iː/ as a tense vowel and clearly articulating /t/ before the lateral nasal /n/; practice with slowed syllable isolation, then gradual speed increases while maintaining precise tongue-tip contact for /t/ and steady airflow for /s/ at the end.
One distinctive feature is the two-consonant cluster at the boundary between the stressed syllable and the final /nəs/: /t/ followed by /n/. It’s easy to glottalize or skip the /n/ in rapid speech. To be precise, practice the sequence /t n/ with a small pause for air between, or a light tongue contact to avoid linking to the next word. Keeping the /t/ released and then quickly transitioning to /n/ helps maintain the rhythm and prevents mishearing as /plets/.
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US: rhotic accent, but in this word the rhoticity is not central; UK: non-rhotic typically, but /r/ does not appear here; AU: often vowel length and quality slightly broader; practice with /ˈpliːt/ in all; focus on the long /iː/ and clear /t/ before /n/; ensure the ending /nəs/ remains a dimmed but audible nasal with a final sibilant. IPA references: US /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/, UK /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/, AU /kəmˈpliːt.nəs/.
Completeness comes from the adjective complete, which traces to the Latin plenus ‘full, complete’ via the Latin verb complēre ‘to fill up’ (com- ‘together’ + plēre ‘to fill’). The English form entered Middle English as complet, evolving to adjective complete in the 15th century, then the noun completeness by adding the -ness suffix to express the state or quality of being complete. The concept has long been used in philosophy, theology, and mathematics to describe wholeness, totality, or sufficiency, and in modern usage it often pertains to data sets, reports, answers, or products that contain all required parts. First known use of complete in the sense of “having all parts” dates to the 14th century; completeness as a noun is attested in the 15th–16th centuries, with its sense expanding in technical disciplines through the 17th–20th centuries, especially in inventory, logic, and information systems.
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Words that rhyme with "completeness"
-ess sounds
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