4 syllables: En, thu, si, ast. Stress on thu.
en-THOO-zee-ast
/ɛˈnθuziˌæst/
Enthusiast is pronounced en-THOO-zee-ast (/ɛˈnθuziˌæst/). It has four syllables (En-thu-si-ast), with the stress on "thu". Enthusiast (noun) refers to a person who is highly interested or passionate about a particular activity or subject. It conveys strong enthusiasm and active engagement, often participating with energy and commitment. In everyday use, an enthusiast is someone who follows or supports something with lively interest, sometimes to a degree that informs their lifestyle or choices.
nounEnthusiast (noun) refers to a person who is highly interested or passionate about a particular activity or subject. It conveys strong enthusiasm and active engagement, often participating with energy and commitment. In everyday use, an enthusiast is someone who follows or supports something with lively interest, sometimes to a degree that informs their lifestyle or choices.
- You may default to stressing the first syllable; correct by tapping your rhythm to place primary stress on the second syllable: en-THU-siast. - Some learners substitute /θ/ with /f/ or /s/; train with a teeth-tip touch and breath: practice with words emphasizing /θ/ in isolation before context. - Final /æst/ can be too lax; ensure a short, crisp /æ/ and hard /st/ release; finish with a clean stop. - The /uː/ vowel length before /zi/ can blur, leading to /juː/ or /uːi/; keep a steady, long /uː/ and glide into /zi/.
"She is a lifelong hiking enthusiast who spends weekends exploring remote trails."
"The robotics enthusiast repaired the old kit and shared tutorials online."
"As a literature enthusiast, he attends small reading groups and discusses themes deeply."
Pronunciation: /ɛnˈθuː.zi.æst/ (US: /ɛnˈθuː.zi.æst/; UK: /ɛnˈθjuː.zi.æst/; AU: /ɛnˈθjuː.zi.æst/). The primary stress is on the second syllable: en-THU-siast. Start with a short, relaxed 'en' /ɛn/ followed by a clear 'th' /θ/ blended into /uː/ for the second syllable, then /zi/ and finally /æst/. Lips are neutral to rounded for /uː/, tongue blade lightly raised for /θ/, and the final /æst/ lights the jaw with a short open front vowel. For audio reference, think of an emphasized 'thu' sound as in 'through' blended with a crisp /zi/ before the /æst/ ending.
Common mistakes include: (1) Misplacing stress, pronouncing en-THU-si-ast as EN-thu-si-ast; keep primary stress on the second syllable. (2) Slurring the /θ/ into /s/ or /t/, yielding /ənˈsuːiæst/; ensure the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ is clearly produced with tongue between teeth. (3) Lengthening the first vowel or mispronouncing /juː/ as a short /u/; use a rounded, long /uː/ for the second syllable. Focus on the glide between /θ/ and /uː/ and crisp ending /æst/ to avoid a weak closure at the end.
In US English you’ll hear /ɛnˈθuː.zi.æst/ with a rhotic, straightforward /r/ absence; the /θ/ remains a dental fricative. UK English often uses /ɛnˈθjuː.zi.æst/ with a longer /juː/ after /θ/, and slightly less rhotic vowel quality; AU tends to align with UK on /θjuː/ but may feature subtle vowel mergers, depending on speaker: some may realize /uː/ as a closer /juː/ sequence. Overall, vowels around the stressed syllable differ in quality and length, while the core /θ/ is consistently dental. Use IPA benchmarks for each variant and listen to region-specific pronunciations for nuance.
The difficulty centers on the sequence /ˈθuː/ that combines a voiceless dental fricative with a rounded long vowel; this is followed by a consonant cluster /zi/ and a short /æst/ ending. Many learners trip on the precise tongue position for /θ/ (between teeth, voiceless) and the transition from /uː/ to /zi/ without inserting an unintended glide. The final /æst/ requires a quick, crisp release. Practicing the two-letter cluster /zi/ and maintaining steady breath for the long vowel helps stabilize the flow.
A notable phonetic challenge is the confluence of the dental fricative /θ/ with a strong, rounded /uː/ immediately after, creating a fast transition that can blur into /tuː/ in rapid speech. The /zi/ cluster also tests smooth sibilant timing before the final /æst/. Paying attention to the precise tongue-to-teeth contact and keeping the /z/ voiced clearly before the final /æst/ makes a big difference in naturalness.
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- US: rhoticity is less pronounced; vowel quality around stressed syllable tends to be pure, with the /θ/ crisp. - UK: /θjuː/ sequence can be heard; ensure light /j/ assimilation after /θ/ for /θjuː/. - AU: may produce a rounded /uː/ with a subtle /ɪ/ influence in the second syllable; maintain clear /uː/ and steady /zi/ before /æst/. IPA anchors help: /ɛnˈθuː.zi.æst/ (US), /ɛnˈθjuː.zi.æst/ (UK), /ɛnˈθjuː.zi.æst/ (AU).
Enthusiast comes from the Greek en-theos, meaning ‘in God’ or ‘inspired by a god,’ combining en- (in) with theos (god). Through Latin and Old French, the term evolved to mean someone inspired or possessed by a passion. In English, it shifted from religiously inspired zeal to a broader sense of ardent interest in any activity or subject. The modern sense—an avid follower or devotee of a hobby or field—emerged around the late 19th to early 20th century as leisure activities and specialized communities grew, turning intense interest into a positive, energetic descriptor rather than a clinical one. First known uses appear in 19th-century texts referencing people who show intense devotion to arts, sciences, or sports, eventually becoming a widely used label for people with culturally or hobbyist passions.
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Words that rhyme with "Enthusiast"
-ast sounds
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