2 syllables: de, fraud. Stress on fraud.
dif-RAWD
/dɪˈfɹɔd/
defraud is pronounced dif-RAWD (/dɪˈfɹɔd/). It has two syllables (de-fraud), with the stress on "fraud". Defraud means to deceive or mislead someone in order to obtain money or something of value. It typically refers to illegal or dishonest schemes that result in financial loss for another party. The term emphasizes the intentionality of deception and the illicit nature of the act, rather than just dishonest behavior in general.
Defraud means to deceive or mislead someone in order to obtain money or something of value. It typically refers to illegal or dishonest schemes that result in financial loss for another party. The term emphasizes the intentionality of deception and the illicit nature of the act, rather than just dishonest behavior in general.
- You might over-elongate the first syllable, turning it into de-FRAUD incorrectly; instead, keep /dɪ/ short and let the main energy land on /fraud/. • Build the /frɔː/ cluster with careful lip rounding and avoid inserting a separate vowel like /a/ before /ɔː/. • Don’t tongue-tie the final /d/; keep it a crisp, voiced stop to finish the word cleanly. - Practice saying it in phrases to ensure rhythm: 'defrauding investors' vs 'defraud.' Remember to keep the vowel quality stable across contexts and avoid adding an extra syllable.
"- The company was found to have defrauded investors by falsifying financial reports."
"- He was accused of defrauding the government of tax dollars."
"- They were charged with defrauding customers through a deceptive sales scheme."
Pronounce it as de-FRAUD, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /dɪˈfrɔːd/. Start with /d/ + /ɪ/ in the first syllable, then /frɔːd/ in the stressed second syllable, ending with a clear /d/. Try to cusp the 'fraud' as a single syllable with a long o: /frɔːd/.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress, say de-FRAUD instead of de-FRAUD; 2) Not fully voicing the /d/ to end the word, ending with a lax 'd' or a silent soft 'd'; 3) In some accents, confusing /ɔː/ with /ɒ/ leading to 'dɪˈfrɒd'. Correction: emphasize the /ɔː/ in the second syllable, close the final /d/ with full voicing, and keep the vowel quality stable across speakers.
In US/UK/AU, /dɪˈfrɔːd/ is consistent, with the main difference being rhoticity. The US typically maintains a rhotic /r/ in related syllables, but in this word the /r/ is part of the /frɔː/ cluster and is not pronounced as a trailing post-r, so virtually no rhotic vowel difference. UK/AU share non-rhotic tendencies but in practice, the /ɔː/ vowel quality remains broad and similar. The key is keeping the /ɔː/ long and the final /d/ fully voiced.
The challenge is the /ˈfrɔː/ sequence: the combination of /f/ + /r/ before a long, rounded /ɔː/ and the final voiced /d/ requires precise timing and lip rounding. The initial /dɪ/ reduces to a light onset, but the core difficulty lies in producing the long mid-back vowel /ɔː/ and ensuring you do not add an extra syllable or misplace the stress. Practice maintaining a clean /d/ release at the end.
There are no silent letters in defraud, but the key unique aspect is the stress on the second syllable and the /ɔː/ vowel quality. The 'de-' prefix is unstressed, so you begin with a quick, light /dɪ/ onset, then a strong secondary vowel cluster /frɔːd/. The word remains a strong, one-word lexeme with primary stress on -fraud. Mastering the timing between the /fr/ onset and the long /ɔː/ is crucial.
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- US: maintain rhotic clarity in the surrounding context; UK: non-rhotic influence may cause slightly shorter /ɔː/ with subtle vowel length; AU: tends toward broad but still clear /ɔː/ with a slightly rolled or tapped /r/ in some speaker backgrounds, but typically not present inside this word. - Focus on /dɪ/ vs /də/ alternatives; keep unstressed first syllable light. - Vowel: /ɔː/ should be long and rounded, avoid /ɒ/ in non-rhotic accents. - Final /d/: avoid flapping (American) in this syllable context; keep voicing crisp.
The verb defraud derives from the Latin fraudare, meaning to deceive or cheat, from fraud-, which means deception, deceit, or wrongdoing. The root fraud- originates in Latin fraud, which carried implications of trickery and wrongful conduct. In Middle English, defrauden appeared under the influence of Old French frauder and Latin forms, meaning to cheat or var try to induce someone to give up money or property under false pretenses. The sense evolved to specifically denote illegal financial deception. The term has been in use in legal and financial contexts since at least the 16th century, with modern usage firmly tied to acts of deception intended to obtain money, goods, or services. Over time, defraud has kept its core meaning of intentional deceptive wrongdoing, expanding in scope to cover fraudulent schemes, securities fraud, tax fraud, and other forms of financial crime, while retaining a clear negative judgement and juridical connotation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "defraud" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "defraud"
-aud sounds
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