3 syllables: Ex, am, ine. Stress on am.
ig-ZAM-in
/ɪˈɡzæmɪn/
Examine is pronounced ig-ZAM-in (/ɪˈɡzæmɪn/). It has three syllables (Ex-am-ine), with the stress on "am". Examine is a verb meaning to inspect or investigate something carefully and systematically; the act is often meticulous and empirical, sometimes formal in tone. In everyday usage you might examine a document, a situation, or a specimen, or a physician may examine a patient. The noun form refers to a formal inspection or assessment, such as a dental exam or a scientific exam. The word carries an analytic, evaluative sense.
Say it backnounExamine is a verb meaning to inspect or investigate something carefully and systematically; the act is often meticulous and empirical, sometimes formal in tone. In everyday usage you might examine a document, a situation, or a specimen, or a physician may examine a patient. The noun form refers to a formal inspection or assessment, such as a dental exam or a scientific exam. The word carries an analytic, evaluative sense.
How to Pronounce Examine
"The detective will examine the crime scene for clues."
"Please examine the document for any errors before you sign."
"A doctor may examine you to determine the cause of your symptoms."
Examine is /ɪɡˈzæm·ɪn/ in US and UK, with the primary stress on the second syllable: ig-ZAM-in. Start with a short, lax vowel in the first syllable, then a strong, open front vowel in the stressed syllable, followed by a quick, unstressed ending. The consonant cluster at the start makes a light “ggz” blend, and the final /ən/ is a light, schwa-like ending. Visualize: ih-GZAM-in. Audio cues: place your tongue high front for /ɪ/, drop to mid-low for /æ/, and finish with a neutral /ɪn/.
Common errors include misplacing the primary stress (saying ex-AME-in) and shortening or adding an extra syllable (ex-am-in vs exa-min). Some speakers also flatten the /æ/ to a more neutral /ə/ in the stressed syllable, or merge the /gz/ sequence into a simpler /gz/ cluster. To fix: practice the stressed /æ/ clearly in the second syllable, keep /ɪn/ as a light ending, and segment the word in three beats: ig-ZAM-in, with a crisp stop after the /gz/.
In US, UK, and AU, the vowel quality of /ɪ/ in the first syllable is similar, but rhotic influence is minimal; primary stress remains on the second syllable. US often has tighter /ɪ/ and a slightly rounded first syllable, while UK may have a laxer /ɪ/ and crisper /æ/ in the stressed syllable depending on speaker. Australian tends toward a more centralized vowel in unstressed syllables, with the /æ/ in /ˈæm/ holding similar openness. Overall: ig-ZAM-in with rhotic influence largely limited to color when in connected speech.
The challenge lies in the niche stress pattern: the syllable with /æ/ is stressed, which is unusual for many learners who expect a stressed first syllable. The /gz/ cluster after the initial vowel requires fine-grained voicing and blending, and the final /ən/ is a weak, unstressed ending that can blur into a schwa. Paying attention to the transition between /ɡz/ and /æ/ and keeping the final /n/ light helps clarity. Practice by isolating those three segments: ig- (unstressed initial), ZAM (stressed cluster), in (light ending).
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Examine comes from the Late Latin examinare, meaning to weigh or test, from ex- ‘out, forth’ + æminare ‘to weigh’ (related to the French examiner). The Latin root examined the process of testing something by weighing or judging its properties. The form passed into Old French as examiner and then into English in the 14th century with the sense of testing or inspecting, especially in legal, scholastic, and medical contexts. Over time the term broadened to cover careful inspection in many professional and everyday settings, retaining a formal, evaluative nuance. In modern usage, examine frequently appears in academic, medical, legal, and investigative spheres, and it can function as both verb (to examine) and noun (an examination), though the noun is less common in casual speech. The semantic core—careful, methodical inspection—has remained stable, but the scope expanded from weight-testing in science and law to broader diagnostic and analytical contexts. First known use in English with the sense of testing something can be traced to medieval texts, aligning with the era’s emphasis on inquiry and scholastic method. The word’s authority and precision are reinforced by its cognates in many Germanic and Romance languages, where similar roots surface in terms for testing and evaluation.
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Words that rhyme with "Examine"
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