2 syllables: en, join. Stress on join.
en-JOYN
/ˌɛˈndʒɔɪn/
enjoin is pronounced en-JOYN (/ˌɛˈndʒɔɪn/). It has two syllables (en-join), with the stress on "join". Enjoin means to urge, prohibit, or command someone to do or not do something, often through a formal order or injunction. It conveys a legal or authoritative directive, sometimes implying enforcement or obligation. The term is used in legal, formal, or ceremonial contexts and emphasizes a strong, perhaps legal, urging rather than casual suggestion.
Enjoin means to urge, prohibit, or command someone to do or not do something, often through a formal order or injunction. It conveys a legal or authoritative directive, sometimes implying enforcement or obligation. The term is used in legal, formal, or ceremonial contexts and emphasizes a strong, perhaps legal, urging rather than casual suggestion.
- You’ll often trip on the /dʒ/ sound, treating it as a soft /d/ or a /ʒ/; fix by practicing the proper alveolar-palatal blend where the tongue blade contacts the alveolar ridge briefly before a quick fricative release. - The /ɔɪ/ diphthong should glide from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ smoothly; avoid a pure /ɔː/ or an abrupt stop—practice a clean, continuous glide. - Final /n/ should be a clear alveolar nasal; some speakers nasalize or pronounce as /ŋ/. Keep tip of the tongue at the alveolar ridge for the /n/.
"The court will enjoin the company from releasing the chemical until safety tests are completed."
"The teacher enjoined the students to finish their assignments before leaving."
"A magistrate may enjoin the parties to maintain the status quo during the dispute."
Pronounce as in-ˈdʒɔɪn with stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU: ɪnˈdʒɔɪn. Begin with a light, unstressed 'in' and move to the bold second syllable: /dʒɔɪ/ as in 'join', then final /n/. For clarity: the sequence is /ɪn/ + /ˈdʒɔɪn/. Audio reference: you can hear the /dʒ/ blend in most English dictionaries or pronunciation platforms. Practice by pairing /ɪn/ with a strong /ˈdʒɔɪn/ onset.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress as en-JOIN or eN-JOIn. 2) Slurring the /dʒ/ into /j/ or mispronouncing the affricate as /ʒ/ alone. 3) Prolonging the /ɪ/ in the first syllable or dropping the final /n/. Correction: keep the first syllable unstressed /ɪn/ and deliver the second syllable with clear /ˈdʒɔɪn/ onset and end with crisp /n/. Drill: /ɪn/ + /ˈdʒɔɪn/ with a quick but controlled transition.
In all three, /ɪn/ is short and unstressed. Primary stress on the second syllable /ˈdʒɔɪn/. US and UK share /ɪnˈdʒɔɪn/. AU retains the same structure but may have a slightly more rounded /ɔɪ/ and a subtle vowel lengthening in some speakers. Non-rhotic tendencies in some UK speakers can affect the preceding vowel quality slightly, but the core is the affricate /dʒ/ followed by the diphthong /ɔɪ/ and final /n/.
The difficulty centers on the /dʒ/ affricate combining with a stressed diphthong /ɔɪ/ and a final alveolar nasal /n/. Beginners often misplace stress, mispronounce /dʒ/ as /j/ or /ʒ/, or run the /ɔɪ/ into /oʊ/. Practice the sharp transition: end-consonant /dʒ/ onset with a crisp /ɔɪ/ nucleus, then a clear /n/. Focus on the mid-position vowel quality and the precise tongue blade contact for /dʒ/.
Unique aspect: the initial unstressed /ɪn/ contrasts with the strongly stressed /ˈdʒɔɪn/. The word requires a clean onset for /dʒ/ without inserting a preceding /j/ or schwa. The rapid, secure closure of the /dʒ/ with the following /ɔɪ/ is crucial for natural rhythm in both careful and reduced speech. Ensure the alveolar contact is brief and the tongue tip rises to release into the /ɔɪ/ glide.
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- US: rhotics are present; maintain a strong /ɪn/ then a bold /ˈdʒɔɪn/ with a crisp alveolar /n/. - UK: non-rhotic gloss can slightly alter preceding vowel quality; still keep /ˈdʒɔɪn/ distinct and not reduced. - AU: similar to US/UK but with a slightly more centralized vowel in some speakers; keep the /ɔɪ/ intact and end with a closed /n/. IPA guidance: /ɪnˈdʒɔɪn/ across variants; maintain the same stress pattern.
Enjoin comes from the Old French enjoindre, itself from late Latin injungere, from in- ‘in, on’ + jungere ‘to join, yoke’. The word entered English in the 14th century with the sense of placing an injunction or order upon someone. The semantic core evolved from “to join” or “to unite” in the sense of attaching a duty or command to a person, to the modern legal meaning of commanding or prohibiting action. The prefix en- often marks a bringing into a state, and j// join relates to binding or obligating, aligning with the imposition of a formal injunction. First known use in English traces to medieval legal and administrative contexts, reflecting the development of authority and obligation in governance and jurisprudence.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "enjoin" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "enjoin"
-oin sounds
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