3 syllables: con, ven, ing. Stress on ven.
kuhn-VEE-ning
/kəˈnvinɪŋ/
convening is pronounced kuhn-VEE-ning (/kəˈnvinɪŋ/). It has three syllables (con-ven-ing), with the stress on "ven". Convening is the act of bringing people together for a meeting or assembly. It emphasizes the process of gathering—organizers summon participants, set a time, and create an occasion for discussion or decision-making. The word is commonly used in formal or organizational contexts to describe the act of assembling a group.
Convening is the act of bringing people together for a meeting or assembly. It emphasizes the process of gathering—organizers summon participants, set a time, and create an occasion for discussion or decision-making. The word is commonly used in formal or organizational contexts to describe the act of assembling a group.
"The board is convening a committee to review the proposal."
"They are convening for a regional conference next month."
"The judge is convening a panel of experts to hear testimony."
Pronounce as /kən-ˈvē-nɪŋ/ in US and UK. The syllables are con-VE-ning, with primary stress on the second syllable. Start with a schwa in the first syllable, then a long “ay” vowel in the stressed second syllable, and end with a voiced velar nasal /ŋ/. Lip positioning: neutral rounded lips for /kən/, tongue rises for /ˈvē/ with a clear long /eɪ/, then glide into /nɪŋ/ with the tongue tip touching the alveolar ridge for the nasal /n/ and the velar /ŋ/ at the end. Audio reference: you can check Cambridge/Forvo pronunciations for native samples.
Common errors: 1) misplacing stress, saying con-VE-nin with flat intonation; 2) pronouncing the second syllable as a short /ɪ/ instead of /eɪ/; 3) dropping the final /ŋ/ or substituting /ŋ/ with /n/. Corrections: emphasize the long /eɪ/ in the second syllable (/ˈvē/), keep the /ŋ/ at the end with the velar tongue position for the nasal, and maintain two-syllable structure before the -ing. Practice slow, then normal, then fast to lock the rhythm and avoid vowel truncation.
US/UK/AU share /kən-ˈvē-nɪŋ/ with primary stress on the second syllable. Differences: US often has rhoticity in related words, but convening itself remains non-rhotic in some speakers? For this word, rhoticity is not a strong factor; the main variation is the length of the /eɪ/ diphthong and the quality of the initial /kən/ that can be slightly more rounded in AU. UK RP tends to a slightly shorter /eɪ/ than some American accents. Australian may have a more centralized schwa in the first syllable and a slightly higher tongue position on the /i/ in /nɪŋ/. In all, the nucleus /eɪ/ in the second syllable is the most perceptible difference.
Difficulties center on the two-syllable rhythm with a long /eɪ/ in the stressed syllable and the final cluster /-ŋ/ after an unstressed schwa. The sequence /-vē-/: the /eɪ/ diphthong requires precise tongue height and lip rounding; the transition from /ˈvē/ to /nɪŋ/ can cause a rush that merges /‑ən/ with /-ŋ/. Keeping the initial /k/ release, avoiding vowel reduction in the stressed syllable, and finishing with a clearly audible /ŋ/ helps clarity. Slow, deliberate articulation helps learners map mouth positions to sounds.
No silent letters in convening, but common slips involve vowel length and consonant clarity. The key features are the two consonant clusters around the stressed syllable and the final velar nasal /ŋ/. Focus on keeping the second syllable vowel as a clear /eɪ/ rather than a quick /i/ or schwa, and ensure the final /ŋ/ is voiced and projected, not replaced with a nasal /n/ in rapid speech.
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Convening comes from the prefix con- (together) + venire (to come) from Latin venire, which is the source of enter, venue, and venture. The idea is to ‘come together’ for a common purpose. The noun convocation (from Latin convocatio) shares the same root. The verb convene appears in English in the late Middle Ages, with early uses reflecting formal summonses or assemblies by authorities. Over time, the term broadened from legal or organizational contexts to any formal gathering or meeting. The participial form convening is a present participle used to describe the act of assembling, often indicating ongoing action (e.g., convening a board, convening a panel). The word retains a formal register, frequently found in legal, governmental, or corporate texts, and its pronunciation and syllabic stress have remained stable as the word evolved through Middle English into Modern English. First known uses appear in late 14th to 15th century documents, where officials would convene councils or courts, setting the stage for structured deliberation and decision-making. The etymology highlights the motion of coming together, underlining the word’s purpose-driven nature in community and organizational contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "convening" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "convening" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "convening"
-ing sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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