3 syllables: Er, in, yes. Stress on Er.
IR-in-eez
/ˈɪɹɪniːz/
Erinyes is pronounced IR-in-eez (/ˈɪɹɪniːz/). It has three syllables (Er-in-yes), with the stress on "Er". Erinyes refers to the female deities of vengeance in Greek mythology, often called the Furies. The term denotes three mythological beings known for pursuing and punishing wrongdoers. In scholarly and literary contexts, Erinyes evokes themes of justice, retribution, and the liminal boundary between mortal crime and divine response.
nounErinyes refers to the female deities of vengeance in Greek mythology, often called the Furies. The term denotes three mythological beings known for pursuing and punishing wrongdoers. In scholarly and literary contexts, Erinyes evokes themes of justice, retribution, and the liminal boundary between mortal crime and divine response.
- Common phonetic mistakes include compressing the long /iːiː/ into a single quick /iː/ and misplacing secondary stress on the second syllable. - Another error is treating the final /z/ as /s/ due to voiceless-voiced confusion; ensure voicing and place of articulation are maintained with a crisp /z/. - Finally, many learners glide the /r/ too softly in start position, making /ˌɛrɪ/ sound like /ˈɛrɪ/; keep the r-colored vowel consistent from the first syllable. Correct these by slow repetition with emphasis on the /niːiː/ sequence and final /z/.”,
How to Pronounce Erinyes
"The temple altar told tales of the Erinyes, feared by those who betrayed kin."
"Scholars debate how the Erinyes influence modern concepts of guilt and punishment."
"In classical tragedy, the Erinyes confront protagonists with relentless, moral scrutiny."
You pronounce Erinyes as /ˌɛrɪˈniːiːz/. The stress falls on the third syllable: er-ih-NEE-ez. Start with /ˈɛr/ with a short open-mid front vowel, then /ɪ/ as in 'kit', then /ˈniːiː/ with a long 'ee' sound, and end with /z/. If you’re listening, you’ll hear a crisp final /z/ and a slightly elongated /iː/ in the second-to-last syllable. Audio references can help you match the exact vowel length, especially the double long /iːiː/ sequence.”,
Two frequent errors are misplacing the stress and shortening the second long vowel. People often say er-ɪ-NEES instead of er-ɪ-ˈniːiːz, flattening the long /iːiː/ into a single short /i/. Another pitfall is finishing with a voiced /z/ too abruptly or as /s/. Correct by keeping a faint glide between /iː/ + /iː/ and articulating a clear /z/ after a longer vowel length. Practice with slow, exaggerated vowels to lock the rhythm in place.”,
In US, you’ll hear /ˌɛrɪˈniːiːz/ with rhoticity maintaining /r/ after the initial vowel; UK/GA often yield /ˌerɪˈniːiːz/ with a slightly reduced first syllable and clear, non-rhotic r in some dialects. Australian pronunciation keeps /r/ after the initial vowel but may feature a flatter vowel in the first syllable and a more clipped final /z/. Across accents, the core is the long /iːiː/ in the third and fourth positions; length and rhoticity shift slightly but the vowel sequence remains recognizable.”,
The difficulty comes from the unusual vowel length sequence /niːiːz/ and the two consecutive high-front vowels that require careful jaw and tongue control. The syllable boundary before the long /iːiː/ should be even; rushing it blurs the word. Additionally, non-native speakers often misplace secondary stress, or substitute the final /z/ with /s/ due to voicing. Focus on keeping a steady tempo and enunciating each /iː/ distinctly before the final /z/.”},{
Erinyes has no silent letters in standard English IPA pronunciation. The challenge is the two consecutive high front vowels /iːiː/ and the voiceless-to-voiced transition into /z/. The spelling Erinyes mirrors the Greek plural ending, but you should render the second syllable with explicit /ˈniː/ and the final with a voiced /z/. There’s no silent-letter caveat here; articulation and timing are the keys.
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- US: maintain rhotic /r/ in the initial syllable; you may have a fuller /ɹ/ articulation. - UK: non-rhotic tendencies may reduce the r-sound after the vowel cluster; still keep the core /niːiːz/. - AU: tends to flatter vowels, with a clear /iː/ ending; keep final /z/ voicing. - Key vowel notes: ensure long /iː/ is held, not shortened, and avoid diphthongizing into /aɪ/ or /eɪ/ in the third/fourth syllables. - IPA reminders: /ˌɛrɪˈniːiːz/ (US), /ˌerɪˈniːiːz/ (UK), /ˌerɪˈniːiːz/ (AU).
Erinyes comes from Ancient Greek Ἐρινύς (Erinús), plural of Ἐρινύς, with the singular sometimes transliterated Erinys or Erinye. The root likely derives from a Proto-Indo-European stem *h₁er- meaning ‘to awaken’ or ‘to stir up’ anger, aligning with personified avenging beings. In Greek myth, the Erinyes were born from Gaia and Uranus in later traditions or emerged from the blood of Uranus after Cronus castrated him in earlier mythologies, depending on the myth cycle. Classical authors personified them as winged goddesses of retribution, stern, relentless, and bound to mortal families by oaths and blood ties. The lexical form entered English in the early modern period via Latinized haustral oroph, with a shift in pluralization to Erinyes to reflect Greek plurality. Usage has fluctuated between scholarly discussion and literary allusion, with the feminine plural often used to emphasize multiple beings rather than a single mythic archetype. First known English uses appeared in translations of Homer and later in tragedy, cementing Erinyes as a specialized mythological term rather than a general word for anger. Contemporary usage retains the mythic nuance while occasionally employing Erinyses in some transliteration variants, though Erinyes remains the standard in academic and literary contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "Erinyes"
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