2 syllables: com, pounds. Stress on com.
KAHM-powndz
/ˈkɑmpaʊndz/
compounds is pronounced KAHM-powndz (/ˈkɑmpaʊndz/). It has two syllables (com-pounds), with the stress on "com". Compounds can refer to chemical substances formed from two or more elements, or to words formed by joining two or more morphemes. In linguistics, a compound is a word created from two or more free morphemes, as in bookcase. In chemistry or materials science, compounds have distinct molecular structures with combined properties. The term spans fields, but in everyday use it often denotes any assembled combination.
Compounds can refer to chemical substances formed from two or more elements, or to words formed by joining two or more morphemes. In linguistics, a compound is a word created from two or more free morphemes, as in bookcase. In chemistry or materials science, compounds have distinct molecular structures with combined properties. The term spans fields, but in everyday use it often denotes any assembled combination.
"The chemist mixed the compounds to create a new substance."
"In linguistics, ‘toothbrush’ is a compound formed from ‘tooth’ and ‘brush’."
"The two compounds in the experiment reacted violently."
You pronounce it as /ˈkɒmˌpaʊndz/ in US, UK, and AU accents. The primary stress is on the first syllable, with a secondary stress on the second: 'COM-pounds' followed by a voiced 'z' as the final consonant. Begin with an open back rounded vowel in the first syllable, then glide to /aʊ/ in the second syllable, and finish with /ndz/. Mouth position: lips rounded briefly for /ɒ/ and /aʊ/; jaw drops slightly for /m/ and /n/; the /d/ is a light stop before the voiced /z/.
Common errors: misplacing stress, saying /ˈkɒmˌpɒnd/ or /ˈkɒmˌpæund/; confusing the final consonant cluster by adding a /s/ or mis-sounding /ndz/. Corrections: keep the final cluster as /ndz/ with a clear /d/ release before the voiced /z/, and ensure the /aʊ/ sound in the second syllable is a true diphthong beginning with /a/ and gliding to /ʊ/ toward /nd/. Practice by isolating the two syllables: COM- /ˈkɒm/ and POUNDS /ˌpaʊndz/, then blend with a light linking touch.
US: /ˈkɒmˌpaʊndz/ with broad /ɒ/ in the first syllable; non-rhoticity is not relevant here as /z/ ends the word. UK: similar /ˈkɒmˌpaʊndz/ but vowel qualities can be slightly shorter and with crisper /t/–like touch in some speakers; rhoticity is not dominant in RP. AU: often maintains /ˈkɒmˌpaʊndz/ with a slightly broader nasal resonance and a more open /ɒ/ in some speakers; the /z/ is clearly voiced. Overall, the main variation lies in vowel height and duration, not the consonant cluster.
The difficulty centers on the two-syllable diphthong sequence and the final /ndz/ cluster. The /ɒ/ in the first syllable can be mis-specified as /ɑ/ or /ɒ/ depending on accent; the /aʊ/ in the second syllable requires a smooth gliding from /a/ to /ʊ/ while maintaining the /n/ before it; and the /ndz/ must avoid an intrusive /d/ or /z/ split. Mastery comes from crisp place of articulation and a clean stop before the voiced /z/.
There are no silent letters in compounds; the challenge is maintaining primary stress on the first syllable and producing a compact /nd/ followed by the voiced /z/. A distinctive feature is the secondary stress/intonation pattern in phrases like 'chemical compounds' where emphasis can shift. The word itself behaves predictably with two clear syllables and a final voiced consonant, but you should avoid over-enunciating the /d/ before /z/.
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Compounds derives from Late Latin compōndere ‘to put together,’ from Latin com- ‘together’ + pōndere ‘to place.’ In English, the sense expanded from the verb to the noun denoting things formed by combining parts. Early forms appeared in Middle English with compound nouns borrowed from French and Latin, often in scientific and legal language as scholars described chemical substances or joined words. By the 17th–18th centuries, compound as a linguistic term grew in popularity, paralleling advances in chemistry where substances are defined by chemically bonded constituents. The word shift reflects cross-disciplinary usage: from general “putting together” to specific categories in linguistics (compound words) and chemistry (chemical compounds). First known uses appear in dictionaries of the 15th–16th centuries, but the semantic expansion into specialized fields accelerated during the Enlightenment, with increased attention to language formation and chemical nomenclature.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "compounds" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "compounds"
-nds sounds
-und sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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