4 syllables: ex, ceed, ing, ly. Stress on ceed.
ik-SEE-ding-lee
/ɪˈksidɪŋli/
exceedingly is pronounced ik-SEE-ding-lee (/ɪˈksidɪŋli/). It has four syllables (ex-ceed-ing-ly), with the stress on "ceed". Exceedingly means to a very great extent or degree; remarkably. It is used to emphasize how much something surpasses a standard or expectation. In formal or literary contexts, it conveys strong intensity without changing the basic meaning of the adjective or verb it modifies.
Exceedingly means to a very great extent or degree; remarkably. It is used to emphasize how much something surpasses a standard or expectation. In formal or literary contexts, it conveys strong intensity without changing the basic meaning of the adjective or verb it modifies.
"The weather was exceedingly hot, making the hike almost unbearable."
"Her performance was exceedingly precise, leaving little room for error."
"Prices rose exceedingly fast during the market instability."
Pronounce it as /ɪkˈsiː.dɪŋ.li/. The syllable stress falls on the second syllable (siː). Start with a light schwa- like initial if preferred: /ɪk/; then /ˈsiː/ with a long E; followed by /dɪŋ/ (the d is clear before the ng); end with /li/ where the l is light. Practice by saying ex- to begin with a soft 'e' sound, then 'ceed' as 'seed', followed by 'ingly' as 'ing-lee'. Audio references: you can listen to Cambridge or Oxford pronunciation entries to hear the four-syllable rhythm.
Common mistakes: misplacing stress (putting emphasis on the first or last syllable), shortening the final -ly to a quick /li/ or dropping the /d/ in -ding. Correction: keep secondary stress-free, ensure secondary /iː/ quality on the second syllable, pronounce the /d/ clearly before the /ŋ/; end with a distinct /li/ rather than a reduced offglide. Listen for the four-syllable cadence and use an audio model to imitate timing.
In US and UK, syllable count remains four with /ˈsiː/ as the vowel nucleus; rhoticity can tint preceding consonants only if followed by an 'r' in different words (not in this word). Australian tends to maintain non-rhoticity in some dialects; vowel length can be slightly shorter in fast speech. The main differences are subtle vowel quality and pace, but the four-syllable rhythm and /ɪkˈsiː.dɪŋ.li/ skeleton hold across regions.
Because it stacks a long stressed vowel in the second syllable (/ˈsiː/), followed by a light /dɪŋ/ and a final /li/. The combination forces precise tongue position: high front tongue for /iː/, a clear alveolar stop /d/, and a lax l or light /l/ at the end. Coordinating the sequence without reducing the middle consonant can be challenging for non-native speakers. Practice with slow, deliberate enunciation and then increase speed.
The word has a prominent secondary sonority pattern where the /d/ acts as a bridge between the long /iː/ and the final /ŋ/ plus /li/. Ensure the alveolar /d/ is not elided in casual speech; keep the /ŋ/ nasalization clear and the final /li/ distinct rather than merging into the preceding syllable. Focusing on the four distinct syllables helps preserve the word’s integrity in speed.
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US: keep rhoticity minimal here; emphasize the long /iː/ with a bright nucleus. UK: maintain crisp /d/ and clear /ŋ/; less vowel variance. AU: tends toward non-rhotic relaxation; keep four-syllable rhythm. IPA anchors: /ɪkˈsiː.dɪŋ.li/; ensure breathing between syllables to avoid merging. Vowel details: /iː/ should be long and tense; /ɪ/ in /dɪŋ/ is short; final /li/ should be light but distinct.
Exceedingly derives from the adverb exceed, which comes from the Middle English exceden, borrowed from Old French excéder, from Latin excedere (ex- ‘out, beyond’ + cedo ‘to go, yield’). The suffix -ly forms an adverb, indicating manner or degree. The root idea is surpassing or going beyond a boundary or limit. Over time, its usage expanded from simply “to go beyond” in physical or quantitative senses to emphasize intensity, degree, or extremity of an attribute or action. In Early Modern English, exceedingly appeared in both colloquial and literary registers, often alongside other intensifiers (altogether, utterly, extremely). Its semantic reach now includes strong admiration or emphasis in both formal prose and rhetorical speech, while retaining precise emphasis when describing extremes of measure, quality, or state. First known uses surface in 15th–16th century English texts, but the modern adverbial form solidified with the growth of intensifying modifiers in English syntax, paralleling developments seen in words like exceedingly and highly across centuries.
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Words that rhyme with "exceedingly"
-ing sounds
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