3 syllables: Con, ject, ure. Stress on ject.
kuhn-JEK-chur
/kəˈndʒɛktʃɚ/
Conjecture is pronounced kuhn-JEK-chur (/kəˈndʒɛktʃɚ/). It has three syllables (Con-ject-ure), with the stress on "ject". Conjecture is a noun referring to a conclusion or guess formed on incomplete evidence. It denotes an opinion or hypothesis that is not yet proven, often formed from partial information or reasoning. In academic or analytic contexts, conjecture is treated with caution, distinguishing it from established fact and requiring further support or testing.
nounConjecture is a noun referring to a conclusion or guess formed on incomplete evidence. It denotes an opinion or hypothesis that is not yet proven, often formed from partial information or reasoning. In academic or analytic contexts, conjecture is treated with caution, distinguishing it from established fact and requiring further support or testing.
How to Pronounce Conjecture
"Her theory was initially dismissed as conjecture, but subsequent data supported it."
"The scientist warned against drawing firm conclusions from conjecture alone."
"In mathematics, conjectures are bold hypotheses awaiting rigorous proof."
Conjecture is pronounced /kənˈdʒek.tʃər/ in US and UK varieties, with primary stress on the second syllable: con-JEC-ture. Start with a light schwa in the first syllable, then the /dʒ/ sound as in judge, followed by /e/ in the stressed syllable, and finish with /tʃər/ as in nature’s “cher.” An audio reference you can listen to: try Cambridge or Oxford learner pronunciations for confirmation.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (pronouncing it con-JEC-ture with wrong emphasis) and mispronouncing the /dʒ/ as a hard /j/ or /t/ cluster. Another frequent error is flattening the final /ər/ to a silent or unstressed schwa. Correction: emphasize the second syllable and ensure /dʒ/ blends affricately as /dʒ/ (like judge), then finish with /tʃər/—keep the final /r/ lightly pronounced in rhotic accents.
In US and UK, the primary stress remains on the second syllable: con-JEC-ture. Rhotic accents (US) include a pronounced /r/ in the final syllable, while non-rhotic accents (many UK varieties) may have a weaker or non-pronounced /r/ at the end. Australian English typically maintains a pronunciation similar to UK/US with a clearly enunciated /tʃ/ and a light /ə/ in the first syllable. Overall: stress pattern is stable; rhoticity and vowel quality vary.
The difficulty stems from the sequence /dʒ/ after a weak initial syllable, the mid stressed /e/ in the second syllable, and the final /tʃər/ combination where the /r/ quality shifts across accents. Learners often misplace the /dʒ/ or insert an extra vowel, turning it into ‘kon-judge-er’ or ‘con-ject-yer.’ Focus on the light schwa in the first syllable, a crisp /dʒ/ cluster, and finishing with /tʃər/.
A distinctive feature is the strong, mid second syllable with /e/ in /-dʒek--/ and the following affricate transition to /tʃər/. The second syllable bears the peak stress, but the vowel in the first syllable remains a quick, subtle schwa. Paying attention to the /k/ plus /tʃ/ blend in the middle helps avoid blending it into a single syllable or mispronouncing as a two-syllable word with an ambiguous stress.
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Conjecture traces to the Latin conjectura, from con- ‘together’ + iacere ‘to throw’. The term entered English via Middle English through Old French conjecture, evolving from the sense of ‘thrown together as a guess’ to the more formal notion of an inference based on incomplete evidence. The root iacere yields a common thread with other speculative words: an act of throwing together ideas to form a probable explanation rather than a certain conclusion. The modern usage solidified in the 16th–18th centuries as scholars and scientists differentiated conjecture from proof, emphasizing provisional status in reasoning and hypothesis formation. Historically, conjecture has appeared in philosophical treatises, mathematical discourse, and scientific debates to mark the boundary between plausible hypotheses and established facts. First known uses appear in early modern English texts and translations of Latin philosophical works, aligning with the broader Renaissance emphasis on conjecturing and proving through empirical testing and logical deduction.
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Words that rhyme with "Conjecture"
-ure sounds
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