Conflict (noun): A serious disagreement or clash between parties, ideas, or interests. It can refer to a struggle that disrupts harmony, prompting negotiation or resolution. In broader terms, conflict also denotes a repurposing or mismatch of forces, whether internal or external, that motivates action or change. The word carries formal and informal uses across contexts.
- You may stress the second syllable or soften the /kt/ at the end. To fix, anchor your tongue: start with a rounded /ɒ/ and let the /n/ sit lightly on the alveolar ridge, then glide into /fl/ without voicing the /f/ too early. End with a clean /kt/ release; don’t add a vowel between /ɪ/ and /kt/. - Another common issue is inserting an extra schwa before the final /kt/ (e.g., /ˈkɒn.fə.lɪkt/). Practice a tight transition: /kɒn/ + /fl/ + /kt/ with no extra syllable. Use a mirror or your recording to observe lip closure and air release. - Some learners replace /ɒ/ with /ɑː/ or shorten /ɪ/ too much. Keep the first syllable short and rounded; the second syllable should have a light, quick /ɪ/ before the /kt/.
- US: The /ɒ/ can be closer to /ɑː/ depending on region; keep lips rounded; maintain a clear /ɪ/ before /kt/. The /fl/ cluster should be tight, with the bottom lip touching the upper teeth for /f/ and the tongue immediately moving to /l/. - UK: Non-rhotic tendency may make /ɒ/ sound shorter; crisp /fl/ followed by /kt/; ensure non-rhotic linking doesn’t affect the final consonant cluster. Use a sharper palate touch for /t/ at end and avoid vowel whispering. - AU: Similar to UK with subtle vowel shifts; keep Australian vowels mid-front and neutral; ensure /ɒ/ is distinct from /ɔː/ and keep final /kt/ released firmly. Cross-phrase practice helps with natural intonation around this word.
"There was a long-standing conflict between the two departments over budget priorities."
"Personal conflict can arise when values clash with practical needs."
"The novel centers on an inner conflict she struggles to overcome."
"Militarized conflict spilled over into regional diplomacy and trade concerns."
Conflict comes from the Latin conflctus via Old French conflit (from Latin conflictus, 'striking together, clash'), ultimately derived from confligere ('to strike together'), from con- ('together') + -fligere ('to strike'). The term entered English in Middle English as conflit or conflit, often used in legal or martial senses. Over time, its meaning broadened to include any discord or clash of forces, ideas, or interests, not just physical fighting. In modern usage, conflict spans interpersonal disputes, internal psychological tension, and systemic or geopolitical clashes. The word preserves a sense of tension and contest, with formal applications in law, diplomacy, and organizational management, while also appearing in everyday speech to describe everyday disagreements. First known uses appear in late medieval manuscripts, with the sense evolving through Early Modern English into its contemporary form and broad semantic range by the 19th and 20th centuries.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Conflict" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Conflict" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Conflict"
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Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Conflict is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable: /ˈkɒn.flɪkt/ in US/UK/AU. Start with a rounded back-vowel /ɒ/ as in 'hot,' move to the unstressed /ɪ/ in the second syllable, then end with /kt/, a clear voiceless stop cluster. The 'n' is syllabic but light, and the 'fl' cluster links smoothly to the final /ɪkt/. You can hear a clear, clipped final consonant in careful speech. Audio resources: Cambridge/Oxford dictionaries offer American and British pronunciations; Forvo and YouGlish provide native speaker variants.
Common mistakes include misplacing stress (saying conFLICT) or pronouncing the final consonant as /t/ without the following voiceless stop. Some learners insert extra vowel sounds, saying /ˈkɒn.fəl.kɪkt/ or /ˈkɒn.flaɪkt/. The correct cluster is /fl/ followed by /kt/, with the /ɪ/ in the second syllable shorter and unstressed. Ensure the /ɒ/ in the first syllable is rounded and open, then transition quickly into /n/ and /fl/ without inserting a schwa. Practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the sequence.
Across accents, the initial vowel remains /ɒ/ in non-rhotic British accents and American accents often realize as /ɑ/ in some dialects, but most standard US pronunciations render it /ˈkɒn/ or /ˈkɑːn/. Rhotic accents may show slightly heavier rhoticity in surrounding phrases, but the word itself is typically non-rhotic within the word. The final /kt/ remains a voiceless stop cluster in all three. Australians tend to be similar to British pronunciations but with subtle vowel shifts in surrounding vowels; ensure crisp /fl/ and /kt/ articulation across all: /ˈkɒnflɪkt/.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster /flɪkt/ after the stressed /ˈkɒn/. The sequence requires a quick but precise transition: the /n/ must connect smoothly to the /f/ without creating an intrusive vowel; the /fl/ cluster must stay together, and the following /kt/ must be released cleanly. Non-native speakers often mispronounce by softening the /t/ or inserting extra vowels (e.g., /ˈkɒn.fɪ.klɪkt/). Drill the exact /fl/ + /kt/ boundary and practice with speed to maintain accuracy.
Is there a stress shift when used in compound phrases like ‘conflict of interest’ or ‘internal conflict,’ and how does it affect articulation? In these phrases, the primary stress often remains on the first word, but connected speech can alter vowel quality slightly; practice maintaining the /ˈkɒn/ onset while the following word carries natural stress. Overall, keep the word’s stress stable in isolation and in phrases to avoid trochaic drift.
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- Shadowing: Listen to a native speaker say Conflict in contexts like ‘conflict of interest’ and ‘internal conflict.’ Mimic at slightly slower speed, then move to normal pace. - Minimal pairs: compare Conflict with Conflict (nonstandard), Contact, Conflicts (plural) to tighten the /kɒn/ onset and /fl/ cluster. - Rhythm practice: Practice with a metronome at 60 bpm, emphasizing a short /kɒn/ then a quick /flɪkt/; advance to 90-100 bpm while preserving clean release. - Stress practice: Isolate the first syllable with primary stress, produce the rest quickly; in phrases, keep the word stable while stress shifts to the following content word. - Recording: Record yourself saying the word in contexts (conflict of interest; conflict arises) and compare to native samples; adjust vowel length and consonant release. - Context sentences: Practice two to three sentences: “There is a conflict between the two proposals.” “The internal conflict affected her decision.” “Ethical conflict often requires transparent negotiation.” - Feedback loop: Use a mirror to monitor lip rounding for /ɒ/ and place for /f/; ensure no vowel between /fl/ and /t/.
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