4 syllables: con, cur, ren, cy. Stress on cur.
kuhn-KUR-ruhn-see
/kənˈkɜːrənsi/
concurrency is pronounced kuhn-KUR-ruhn-see (/kənˈkɜːrənsi/). It has four syllables (con-cur-ren-cy), with the stress on "cur". Concurrency refers to the occurrence of multiple tasks, events, or processes happening at the same time or overlapping in time. In computing and mathematics, it denotes the management of simultaneous operations, often aimed at efficiency, responsiveness, or parallelism. The term is used across software design, databases, and theoretical analysis to describe parallel activity and coordination.
Concurrency refers to the occurrence of multiple tasks, events, or processes happening at the same time or overlapping in time. In computing and mathematics, it denotes the management of simultaneous operations, often aimed at efficiency, responsiveness, or parallelism. The term is used across software design, databases, and theoretical analysis to describe parallel activity and coordination.
"The system supports concurrency, allowing multiple users to run tasks concurrently without conflicts."
"Database transactions require proper locking to maintain consistency under high concurrency."
"In programming, concurrency is achieved through threads or asynchronous events that overlap in execution."
US/UK/AU pronunciation is kən-ˈkɜr-ən-sē (IPA: US kənˈkɜrənsi, UK kənˈkɜːrənsi, AU kənˈkɜːənsi). The main stress falls on the second syllable: con-CUR-ren-cy. Start with /k/ then a schwa, then a strong /ɜː/ or /ɜˈ/, followed by /n/ and /si/.
Common errors include stressing the first syllable (CON-cur-ren-cy) or mispronouncing the central vowel as /ɪ/ instead of /ɜː/. Another error is blending the final -cy as /si/ with a clipped final vowel. Focus on: 1) stress the second syllable (CUR), 2) use /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ for the central vowel, 3) clearly pronounce the final /si/ as two distinct sounds. Practice slow and then speed up.
In US and UK, the central vowel in CUR is /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ with rhoticity differences; US often rhotic, UK can be non-rhotic in some broad accents, affecting the following /r/. Australian tends toward /ə/ or schwa in some unstressed positions, with a clear /ɜː/ in CUR. Overall, the rhythm remains penultimate stress, but vowel quality and rhoticity subtly color the middle syllable.
It challenges non-native speakers with the multi-syllabic structure and the central tense vowel /ɜː/ in CUR and the sequence /ˈkɜrən/ that can blur in rapid speech. The risk is reducing the second syllable or merging /kənˈkɜrənsi/ into /kənˈkɜrəsi/. Emphasize careful articulation of /k/ + /ɜː/ + /r/ + /ən/ before the final /si/.
The sequence /-kɜːrən-/ centers the ear on the /ɜː/ vowel, which is tense and central. Ensuring you don’t reduce /kən/ to /kən/ without the proper /ɜː/ is key. Also, the final -cy /si/ should be clear and not reduced to /siː/ or /si z/. Maintaining the two consecutive unstressed syllables around CUR helps preserve rhythm.
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Concurrency comes from Latin con- ‘together’ and currere ‘to run; to flow.’ The modern sense evolved through English in the 19th and 20th centuries, expanding beyond general ‘running together’ to specific technical uses in computing and mathematics. The root currere appears in words like current, cursor, and cursive, all sharing the idea of movement or flow. The prefix con- plus curr- suggests things running together or side-by-side. Early references in mathematics to concurrent events date to the late 19th century as scientists and engineers sought to describe simultaneous occurrences. In computer science, concurrency became prominent with the advent of multi-user systems and multi-threaded programming in the mid-20th century, where systems must handle multiple operations in overlapping time frames. The term has since become a standard descriptor in databases, operating systems, and theoretical computer science. First known use in specialized contexts appears in technical writings around the 1950s, with broader adoption in software engineering literature by the 1970s and 1980s as parallelism and asynchronous processing grew in importance. The word’s evolution reflects the shift from merely “running at the same time” to “managing overlapping activities efficiently.”
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Words that rhyme with "concurrency"
-nce sounds
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