2 syllables: En, grossed. Stress on grossed.
in-GROHST
/ɪnˈɡɹoʊst/
Engrossed is pronounced in-GROHST (/ɪnˈɡɹoʊst/). It has two syllables (En-grossed), with the stress on "grossed". Engrossed is an adjective describing deep or absorbed involvement in something, often to the exclusion of other matters. It conveys intense focus, interest, or immersion, typically in a single activity or subject. The term implies that attention is fully captured, leaving little room for distraction or peripheral concerns.
adjectiveEngrossed is an adjective describing deep or absorbed involvement in something, often to the exclusion of other matters. It conveys intense focus, interest, or immersion, typically in a single activity or subject. The term implies that attention is fully captured, leaving little room for distraction or peripheral concerns.
"She was so engrossed in the novel that she didn’t notice the rain."
"The lecturer’s q&a session kept the audience engrossed for over an hour."
"He looked engrossed as the documentary revealed surprising historical details."
Engrossed is pronounced in-GROSTD with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US: ɪnˈɡroʊst, UK: ɪnˈɡrəʊst, AU: ɪnˈɡrəʊst. The vowels are a long O sound in the second syllable, followed by a final 'st' cluster. Allow the tongue to raise to a mid-high position for /roʊ/ and keep the final /st/ crisp. Listen for the short schwa in the first syllable; avoid reducing the second syllable’s vowel. Practice slow then natural pace to nail the rhythm.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing the second syllable with a lax /ɹ/ or misplacing the /r/ in non-rhotic accents; (2) Shortening the /roʊ/ to a quick /ro/ or dropping the /oʊ/ diphthong, making it sound like ‘ingrostd’ instead of ‘in-GROH-st’; (3) Attaching a trailing /d/ like ‘engrossed’ as /ɪnˈɡroʊstd/. Correction: keep /roʊ/ as a clear diphthong with lip rounding; end with a clean /st/—avoid extra alveolar or teethed tummies. Slow down the onset of the second syllable to ensure the full vowel is realized.
US tends to produce /ɪnˈɡroʊst/ with a rhotic absence or presence depending on speaker, but the /ɹ/ sound is subtle; UK/ AU typically use /ɪnˈɡrəʊst/ with a more centralized onset vowel and slightly shorter second vowel; AU often features less flapped or tapped variants and a rounded /əʊ/ may tilt toward /əʊ/ with a broader mouth shape. Stress remains on the second syllable; the difference lies mainly in the second syllable vowel quality and rhoticity in connected speech.
Key challenges include the second-syllable diphthong /roʊ/ versus /rəʊ/ that differs between accents, the need to maintain a crisp /st/ cluster after the vowel, and avoiding an intrusive extra consonant at word boundary. People often shorten the diphthong or add a derhoticization in non-rhotic dialects. Concentrate on the mouth shapes for the diphthong and keep the /t/ or /d/ release clear but not exaggerated.
A practical quirk with Engrossed is that the 'gro' part carries the main vowel diphthong, while the 'ssed' yields a straightforward /st/ cluster; do not vocalize an extra 'e' sound after the /t/. The final “ed” is not pronounced as “ed” in past-tense verbs here; it’s a standard adjective ending pronounced as /st/; ensure the final 'ed' is not voiced.
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Engrossed derives from the prefix en- (in, within) + grossen (to make thick or large) from Old English engrossian (to engross, to occupy wholly). The root gross originally signified mass or bulk; over time, the sense shifted to ‘to occupy wholly’ or ‘to engross the mind.’ In Middle English, engrossed appeared as engrossen/engrosen in legal and literary contexts to denote dedicating all attention or property to a single matter. The modern sense of being intensely absorbed emerged by the 16th-17th centuries, paralleling phrases like “to be all in for.” The word’s evolution reflects a transfer from physical accumulation to cognitive occupancy, culminating in the common usage today meaning deeply absorbed attention. First known uses appear in legal and scholastic texts illustrating full engagement or appropriation, later spreading to general prose and conversation as the idea of absorbing attention became culturally salient.
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Words that rhyme with "Engrossed"
-sed sounds
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