4 syllables: E, ter, ni, ty. Stress on ter.
it-UR-nuh-tee
/ɪˈtɝnəti/
Eternity is pronounced it-UR-nuh-tee (/ɪˈtɝnəti/). It has four syllables (E-ter-ni-ty), with the stress on "ter". Eternity is the state or quality of being timeless and infinite, extending without end. As a noun, it denotes an immeasurable, perpetual duration or a concept of permanence beyond ordinary temporal limits. In everyday usage it often conveys profound duration, permanence, or an ultimate, unknowable timespan.
nounEternity is the state or quality of being timeless and infinite, extending without end. As a noun, it denotes an immeasurable, perpetual duration or a concept of permanence beyond ordinary temporal limits. In everyday usage it often conveys profound duration, permanence, or an ultimate, unknowable timespan.
- You: Focus on the second syllable (e-TER-ni-ty). Common mistake: over-lengthening the final -ty or misplacing the stress toward the first syllable. Correction: stress the second syllable: /ɪˈtɜːr.nə.ti/; keep final /ti/ brief, not a drawn-out /tiː/. - You: Let the /ɜːr/ be a single, smooth vowel plus rhotic or non-rhotic cue depending on accent. Correction: hold /ɜː/ with clear /r/ coloring in rhotic accents; in non-rhotic accents, ensure a subtle r-coloring before the following syllable. - You: Don’t insert extra vowels before the final -ty. Correction: end with a crisp /ti/ after /nə/; avoid an extra vowel between /ti/ and preceding consonants.
How to Pronounce Eternity
"- The ancient ruins seemed to stretch into eternity, as if time itself stood still."
"- She spoke of eternity and the lasting impact of kindness."
"- Philosophers debated whether happiness is finite or a form of eternity within the mind."
Pronounce it as /ɪˈtɜːrnəti/ (US) or /ɪˈtɜːnɪti/ (UK). The primary stress is on the second syllable: e-TER-ni-ty. Start with a short, unstressed ‘e’ or quick schwa, then a stressed mid-central /ɜː/ vowel, followed by a light /n/ and a trailing /ə/ before the final /ti/ or /tiː/. Keep the /t/ crisp and avoid adding extra vowels. You can listen to a native reference on Pronounce or Forvo for natural intonation.
Common mistakes: overemphasizing the first syllable (e-VER-nee) or misplacing stress on the third syllable. Another is turning the final -ty into a long -tee rather than a short -ti. Correction: keep stress on the second syllable /ˈtɜːr/; pronounce the ending as /-nəti/ with a light schwa in the second-to-last syllable and a crisp final /ti/. Practice a clean /ɜːr/ vowel in the stressed syllable and avoid a voiced ending on the second syllable.
US: /ɪˈtɜːrnəti/ with rhotic /ɹ/ in the stressed syllable; UK: /ɪˈtɜːnɪti/ with non-rhotic /ɹ/ and a slightly shorter /ə/ in the final syllable; AU: /ɪˈtɜːnɪti/ similar to UK but with a flatter intonation and sometimes a longer /i/ in -ty. The key differences are rhoticity and vowel quality in the stressed syllable. In all, keep the second syllable strong, but US tends to retain a more pronounced /ɹ/.
The difficulty lies in the length and rhythm: four syllables with a stressed second syllable and a light, unstressed final -ty. The mid central /ɜː/ vowel in the stressed syllable can be tricky for non-native speakers, as well as keeping the final /ti/ light and avoiding a prolonged vowel. Also, the sequence -rn- before the unstressed -e- or -i- can invite blending. Focus on a crisp /ɜːr/ and a quick, light /ti/ at the end.
In careful, careful pronunciation, the final -ty is typically /ti/ with a voiceless t followed by a short i. In some rapid speech or certain dialects, the /t/ can be lenited toward a tap [ɾ] or even assimilate toward a /d/ in casual speech, but standard careful pronunciation maintains /ti/. Monitoring voicing: keep the /t/ voiceless and ensure a quick, clean ending rather than a voiced stop.
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- US: Rhoticity means you may hear a pronounced /ɹ/ in /ɜːr/. Keep the r-colored vowel with a tongue slightly back; stress is strong on the second syllable. - UK: Non-rhotic; the /ɜː/ is a longer, tense vowel with less noticeable r-coloring; ensure the final -ty remains light. - AU: Similar to UK, but intonation can be flatter; maintain the /ɜː/ quality and a crisp final /ti/; watch vowel length and avoid inserting extra vowel. IPA anchors: US /ɪˈtɜːr.nə.ti/, UK /ɪˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/, AU /ɪˈtɜː.nɪ.ti/.
The word eternity comes from the Latin aeternitas, from aeternus meaning “eternal, perpetual, everlasting.” Aeternus derives from a more ancient Proto-Indo-European root *ai- or *ai̯- indicating long times, plus -ernus in the Latin adjectival suffix. The Latin noun aeternitas entered classical Latin as a concept of endless duration, used in theological, philosophical, and legal contexts. In English, eternity appears in the early medieval period, influenced by Latin theological writings and later by the Latinized form aeternitas. Over time, its usage broadened from strict theological connotations to general abstractions of timelessness and infinite duration in poetry and prose. In modern usage, eternity often carries a sense of grandeur or profundity beyond human experience, and phrases like “for all eternity” are common idiomatic expressions. The word’s core sense—endless time—remains stable, while its nuance shifts with context from metaphysical debate to everyday reflection.
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Words that rhyme with "Eternity"
-ity sounds
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