2 syllables: de, tailed. Stress on tailed.
dit-AYLD
/dɪˈteɪld/
detailed is pronounced dit-AYLD (/dɪˈteɪld/). It has two syllables (de-tailed), with the stress on "tailed". Detailed means having many particulars laid out in careful, thorough description or analysis. It implies precision, specificity, and completeness, often presenting step-by-step or itemized information. The term is commonly used across professional, academic, and technical contexts to indicate depth beyond a cursory overview.
Detailed means having many particulars laid out in careful, thorough description or analysis. It implies precision, specificity, and completeness, often presenting step-by-step or itemized information. The term is commonly used across professional, academic, and technical contexts to indicate depth beyond a cursory overview.
"The report provided a detailed breakdown of the project's costs and timelines."
"She gave a detailed account of the incident, including every timestamp."
"The manual offers detailed instructions on how to assemble and calibrate the device."
Pronounce it as /ˈdiː.teɪld/ in US/UK; the first syllable carries primary stress. Start with a long E vowel, then a clear 'tay' diphthong in the second syllable, and finish with a light 'ld' cluster. Mouth positions: lips neutral, tongue high for /iː/, glide into /eɪ/ with a slight jaw drop, then close with /ld/ where the tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge for the 'l' and 'd' release. You can think: 'DEE-tayld'.
Common mistakes include flattening the diphthong /eɪ/ into a pure /e/ or /ɛ/ and omitting the /l/ or mispronouncing the final /ld/ as /d/ only. Some learners also reduce the first syllable to /dɪ/ or misplace the stress as di-TAILED. Correction: keep /ˈdiː/ for the first syllable, ensure a distinct /eɪ/ in the second, and articulate the /ld/ cluster: tongue tip to alveolar ridge for /l/ before a clear /d/.
In General US and UK, you’ll hear /ˈdiː.teɪld/ with rhoticity affecting only r-words, not this term; the /ːi/ in the first syllable remains long. Australian English shares the same rhotic principle but may show a slightly flatter /eɪ/ and a more centralized /ə/ in connected speech if rapid. Primary differences are vowel qualities and rhythm, not core phonemes. The stress stays on the first syllable across all three.
The difficulty centers on the diphthong /eɪ/ and the final /ld/ cluster. Many learners run /eɪ/ together with /l/ creating /eɪl/ or drop the /l/ entirely. Achieve stability by isolating the two segments: hold /eɪ/ for a brief moment before releasing into the alveolar ridge for /l/ and then a clean /d/ release. Mouth positions must switch smoothly to avoid a slurred end.
Yes: emphasize the two-syllable rhythm by lightly separating the syllables in careful speech: DEE-teild, then rehearse in a fast chain: 'detailed data.' The second syllable /teɪld/ is a rhyme with 'ailed' and can be extended slightly in careful enunciation. Use minimal pairs to practice the /iː/ vs /i/ quality and the /eɪ/ diphthong interaction with the /l/.
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US: rhotic, clear /ɹ/ when present; UK: non-rhotic, lightly rounded /ɜː/ in some variants rarely applies here; AU: non-rhotic with more centralized vowels. Vowel contrasts: /iː/ length varies by speaker; /eɪ/ can shift toward /e/ or /aɪ/ in some Australian accents. IPA references: keep /ˈdiː.teɪld/ across accents; ensure final /ld/ remains distinct while not drawing out the vowel excessively. Consonant clarity: maintain the /l/ by lifting the tongue tip, then release with a crisp /d/.
The adjective detailed comes from the late Middle English word detailen, sourced from Old French delicatus meaning ‘delicate, elaborate, precise,’ with roots in Latin delineatus, past participle of delineare ‘to sketch, outline, trace’. The core idea in its evolution is the act of drawing or setting forth smaller parts of a whole with care. In English, detail originally carried the sense of ‘a small part or item of something’ and later gained the more dynamic sense of presenting comprehensive, exact information. By the 17th century, English texts used detail to refer to the particular elements that comprise a larger description. The modern sense—‘full, exact, and thorough’—emerged as professional and technical discourse demanded precise specifications, inventories, and step-by-step processes. The compound nature is typical of English adjective formation: combining base meaning (detail) with the suffix -ed to form a participial adjective that characterizes something as endowed with many particulars, or described in terms of those particulars. First known uses appear in legal and scholarly writings where the need to distinguish minute components became important for clarity and accountability. Over time, the word shifted from abstract “particulars” to concrete “well-described particulars,” aligning with fields such as science, engineering, and journalism. In contemporary usage, detailed is ubiquitous, spanning everyday communication to specialized documentation, maintaining the core emphasis on precision and thoroughness.
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Words that rhyme with "detailed"
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