Depth refers to the distance from the top to the bottom of something or the degree of complexity, richness, or intensity in a discussion, perception, or experience. It conveys thorough, substantial substance beyond surface level, often implying thoughtful analysis, nuance, and persistence beneath the obvious. In both physical and metaphorical senses, depth emphasizes measured profundity and enduring significance.
- You’ll often hear learners substitute the final /θ/ with /f/ or /s/. To fix it, practice holding the tongue between teeth and releasing air without vocalization, as in think. Try saying depth in a frame like Depth of field, focusing on the final hiss. - Some learners shorten or flatten the vowel, making it /dɛp/ or /dæp/. Practice with a slow, careful glide to /ɛ/ before /p/; keep lips relaxed and jaw slightly open. - The /d/ can be over-aspirated in rapid speech, turning depth into /dɛp h/ or a blunt stop. Practice with controlled, gentle release—don’t add extra voice after /d/. Use slow-to-fast drills to lock the exact timing. - In connected speech, depth can blend with following sounds, especially before a consonant. Practice chunking: Depth of field, ensuring you keep the /θ/ crisp even when the next word begins with a consonant. - Common misperception is thinking depth rhymes with breathe; it doesn’t. Depth rhymes with breath but ends in /θ/. Use minimal pairs and recording feedback to anchor the final fricative.
- US: /dɛpθ/ with a relatively unrounded /e/; keep the /θ/ voiceless and dental. Avoid hyper-aspirating /d/; a clean stop is essential. - UK: /dɛpθ/ similar, but you may notice a slightly crisper /θ/ and a marginally longer vowel before /θ/. The jaw may be a touch higher and the mouth more open for the dental fricative. - AU: /dɛpθ/ like US/UK, yet some speakers may have a softer /e/ and a lighter /θ/ release. Make sure the tongue tip comfortably rests between the teeth and there is no voicing in /θ/. - IPA references: confirm /d/ as a voiced alveolar stop, /ɛ/ as a mid-front vowel, /p/ as a voiceless bilabial stop, /θ/ as a voiceless dental fricative. Practice with the mouth in neutral position, then progressively exaggerate the dental contact for accuracy.
"The depth of the ocean can exceed 10,000 meters."
"She explored the depth of his feelings before making a decision."
"The artist sought depth in color and texture, not just brightness."
"Her essay revealed depth of research and careful reasoning."
Depth comes from Middle English depte, from Old French depte, from Late Latin deptas, from Latin deptus, past participle of dedere? (note: classic etymology sources). The root conveys the notion of a measure of how far something extends downward, or inward in meaning. The term evolved from physical measurement to metaphorical uses in philosophy and literature as scholars began to describe non-physical dimensions like complexity, nuance, or intensity. In early English texts, depth appeared alongside breadth to compare scope; over time, depth gained prominence in scientific, artistic, and critical discourse to denote thoroughness and substantial content. First known uses surface in medieval manuscripts, with common adoption in the 14th–16th centuries as scholars described depths of reasoning, waters, and architectural spaces. By the modern era, depth spans oceans, cognitive complexity, emotional resonance, and social phenomena, remaining a versatile measure of degree and substance across contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Depth" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Depth" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Depth"
-ath sounds
-eth sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Depth is pronounced with a single syllable: /dɛpθ/. Start with the /d/ as a voiced alveolar stop, then the short /e/ as in 'bed,' and finish with the voiceless interdental fricative /θ/ as in 'think.' The /θ/ is produced with the tongue tip between teeth and a light, breathy release, not a heavy sound. Stress is on the entire syllable since it’s monosyllabic. IPA: /dɛpθ/.
Common errors include replacing the /θ/ with /f/ or /s/ or not placing the tongue between the teeth. Another pitfall is shortening the vowel to a lax /ɪ/ or creating a /dɛp/ without the final /θ/. To correct: keep the /e/ as a pure mid-front vowel, gently place the tongue tip between teeth for the /θ/, and avoid voicing on the final sound. Practice with minimal pairs like depth/desk to feel the final voiceless fricative.
Across US/UK/AU, depth remains monosyllabic with /d/ and /θ/; the main variation is the vowel quality and the aspiration of /d/. In some US accents, /d/ can be slightly darker, and the /θ/ may become dental fricative with a longer release. In UK and AU, listeners may perceive crisper /θ/ with more dental articulation. Overall, the rhoticity does not affect depth since there’s no r-colouring, but vowel duration before /θ/ can vary slightly by speaker.
The difficulty lies in the final /θ/ sound, a voiceless dental fricative produced with the tongue between the teeth, which many learners substitute with /f/ or /s/. The abrupt stop of /d/ followed by a fricative without vocalization can be tricky in fluent speech, causing a blurring of the final boundary. Also, the short /e/ vowel can be mispronounced as /ɛ/ or /æ/, and rapid speech can compress the auditory cue, making the final /θ/ faint.
Depth often triggers attention to the dental fricative /θ/ in nonnative speech; some speakers unintentionally voice the final sound, turning /θ/ into /ð/ (as in 'the'). Focus on keeping the tongue lightly between teeth and letting air escape to produce a sharp, voiceless /θ/. This small distinction can dramatically improve intelligibility, especially in careful, precise contexts.
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- Shadowing: Listen to native sentences containing depth (e.g., Depth of field) and imitate with strict attention to the /θ/; repeat 12–15 times. - Minimal pairs: depth – depth? (like ‘depth’ vs ‘debt’ in some dialects). Focus on the final /θ/; use depth vs debt to feel the difference in voicing. - Rhythm practice: Treat depth as a closed syllable; stress falls on the word, followed by a short pause before the next word; practice phrases: “depth of knowledge,” “depth perception.” - Stress patterns: In phrases, depth often carries primary stress when used as a concept: “the depth of analysis,” ensure the /d/ and /θ/ are precise. - Recording and playback: Record yourself saying depth in sentences, compare to native audio, adjust tongue tip position to avoid a fricated /f/ sound. - Context sentences: “The depth of the ocean is immense.” “She admired the depth of your argument.” - Syllable drills: isolate /d/ + /ɛ/ + /p/ + /θ/ in slow motion, then speed up gradually. - Intonation: In questions like “What is the depth?” use a rising intonation after the word; maintain the /θ/ clarity even as pitch rises.
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