3 syllables: Dys, pho, ria. Stress on pho.
dis-FAW-ree-uh
/dɪsˈfɔɹiə/
Dysphoria is pronounced dis-FAW-ree-uh (/dɪsˈfɔɹiə/). It has three syllables (Dys-pho-ria), with the stress on "pho". Dysphoria is a medical term for a profound sense of unease or dissatisfaction that can accompany mood disorders, discomfort with one’s body, or gender dysphoria. It denotes a persistent emotional distress rather than a momentary feeling, and is used in clinical, psychological, and autobiographical contexts to describe how someone experiences internal conflict or incongruity with their experiences or identity.
nounDysphoria is a medical term for a profound sense of unease or dissatisfaction that can accompany mood disorders, discomfort with one’s body, or gender dysphoria. It denotes a persistent emotional distress rather than a momentary feeling, and is used in clinical, psychological, and autobiographical contexts to describe how someone experiences internal conflict or incongruity with their experiences or identity.
"The patient reported a persistent dysphoria that intensified during periods of social interaction."
"Some individuals experience gender dysphoria, a type of dysphoria related to gender identity."
"Treatment focuses on reducing distress and improving function, not simply alleviating symptoms of depression."
Dysphoria is pronounced as dih-SFOR-ee-uh in US and UK English. The primary stress is on the second syllable: /dɪsˈfɔːriə/. Start with a short 'di' vowel, stressed 'sfor', followed by an unstressed 'ee-uh' sound. Tip: think of ‘dis-FOR-ee-uh’ with the 'FOR' as a rounded, mid back vowel. Listen for the long 'o' and the final schwa.
Common errors include misplacing stress (saying di-SFOR-ia), using a short 'o' as in 'for' instead of the long /ɔː/ vowel, and dropping the final -ia as a hard 'a' instead of a schwa. Correct by stressing the second syllable, ensuring the 'or' contains a proper /ɔː/ quality, and ending with a neutral /ə/ rather than an explicit 'ah'. Practice with slow, deliberate vowel quality checks.
In US/UK, the middle 'for' uses a long /ɔː/ with rhoticity affecting rhotic accents; US often keeps a stronger rhotic sound, UK may be slightly more non-rhotic in casual speech but still preserves the /ɔː/ quality. Australian pronunciation tends to be closer to UK in vowel quality but softer consonants. The final /ə/ remains unstressed in all accents. Emphasize the second syllable for consistent intelligibility.
The difficulty lies in the long /ɔː/ vowel in the stressed second syllable and the sequence /sfɔːr/ where /sf/ blends with a rounded mid-back vowel. The ending /iə/ slides to a near-diphthong that becomes a quick /iə/ to /ɪə/ depending on accent. Lax or misarticulating the final unstressed /ə/ can mislead listeners about syllable count. Focus on the tight cluster and preserve the rounded mouth shape.
The prefix dys- is pronounced as /dɪs/ in this word, like the start of 'this' or 'dis'. It is a short, unstressed syllable leading into the stressed /ˈfɔːr/ part. Don’t turn it into a long ‘dye-’ sound. Keep the initial /dɪs/ crisp and light so the emphasis stays on the second syllable.
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Dysphoria comes from the Greek dys- meaning ‘bad, difficult, abnormal’ and -phoria from pherein meaning ‘to bear, carry’ (via phonology involving the root phor-). The term was adopted into medical lexicon via the 19th and 20th centuries to describe a persistent sense of emotional distress. First attested in medical literature in contexts discussing mood and affect, it evolved to denote not just sadness but a broader state of internal discomfort, including body-related or identity-related incongruities. The combining form dys- is common in psychiatry (dysphasia, dystonia), while phoria surfaces in terms of bearing or carrying mental states (euphoria opposite). Over time, dysphoria has become a standard clinical descriptor for people experiencing ongoing unease that colors perception, motivation, and behavior, and is especially prominent in discussions of gender dysphoria and mood-related disorders.
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Words that rhyme with "Dysphoria"
-ria sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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