2 syllables: ex, clude. Stress on clude.
iks-KLOOD
/ɪksˈklud/
exclude is pronounced iks-KLOOD (/ɪksˈklud/). It has two syllables (ex-clude), with the stress on "clude". Exclude means to keep something out or omit it from inclusion. It can also refer to preventing someone from participating or belonging to a group or activity. In pronunciation contexts, it often involves terminating a syllable boundary and ensuring the initial /ɪk/ or /ɛk/ cluster is cleanly released, with attention to the final /sk/ cluster and the stress pattern of the word.
Exclude means to keep something out or omit it from inclusion. It can also refer to preventing someone from participating or belonging to a group or activity. In pronunciation contexts, it often involves terminating a syllable boundary and ensuring the initial /ɪk/ or /ɛk/ cluster is cleanly released, with attention to the final /sk/ cluster and the stress pattern of the word.
- You may mispronounce the initial /ɪ/ as a lax schwa; ensure a short, tense /ɪ/ or /i/ depending on accent. - The /skl/ cluster must be tight: avoid inserting an extra vowel between /s/ and /k/. - The final /d/ should be voiced in steady speech; avoid a clipped or silent end by finishing with a clearly released /d/.
"The club decided to exclude non-members from the event."
"The report excludes data from the most recent quarter."
"We must exclude certain items to fit within the budget."
Pronounce as /ɪkˈskluːd/. The syllable boundary is after the first two letters: ehk-SKLOOD, with the stress on the second syllable. Start with a short, lax /ɪ/ or /ɪ/ as in “kit,” then move to the velar /k/ and the /sk/ cluster before the long /uː/ vowel, finishing with a crisp /d/. Keep the /sk/ cluster tightly connected to the /luːd/ portion. Audio references: you can compare Cambridge/Oxford pronunciations and listen to native speakers on Forvo or YouGlish for steady/word-final /d/ release.
Common mistakes include: 1) Slurring the /sk/ into /skl/ or dropping the /k/ before the /s/ in fast speech, producing /ɪkˈsluːd/ instead of /ɪkˈskluːd/. 2) Vocalizing the final /d/ as a t-voicing or stopping the release too early, resulting in /ɪkˈskluː/ or /ɪkˈskluːt/. 3) Misplacing the stress, saying ex-CLUDE with a weaker second syllable. Correction: release the /sk/ cluster cleanly into /luːd/, maintain voicing for /d/, and stress the second syllable /ˈkluːd/ rather than the first. Practice with slow rhythm and shadowing to fix the cluster transition.
In US/UK, the primary difference is vowel quality of the /uː/ and the rhoticity in connected speech. US tends to be r-colored in rapid speech; UK maintains a clearer non-rhotic vowel, though /r/ is not prominent in non-rhotic contexts. Australian English keeps a rounded, centralized /uː/ with a slightly slower onset before /sk/. In all, the core /ɪkˈskluːd/ structure remains, but the vowel quality and linking consonants vary slightly in speed and mouth position. Listen to authoritative sources (Cambridge, Oxford, Forvo) to hear subtle differences.
Difficulties center on the /skl/ cluster and the final /d/. The transition from the short vowel /ɪ/ to the /k/ then /sk/ cluster requires precise tongue placement and a quick, crisp release. The long /uː/ vowel must occur after the /sk/ cluster without swallowing the final /d/. In some accents, the /d/ can be devoiced or elided in connected speech, which makes the word sound like /ɪkˈskluː/ to beginners. Focus on a clean /sk/ release and a full-final /d/ for accuracy.
The word hinges on a clean /sk/ cluster immediately before the long /uː/ vowel. A frequent pitfall is infusing a vowel between /s/ and /k/, producing /ˈɪk.sɪkluːd/ or /ɪkˈsklud/; keep the /s/ and /k/ together as /sk/. Additionally, ensure the final /d/ is voiced; many non-native speakers devoice it in rapid speech, turning it into a silent or unreleased stop. For precision, practice with the sequence: /ɪ/ + /k/ + /sk/ + /luː/ + /d/ and stress the /kluːd/ portion.
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Exclude originates from Latin excludere, where ex- means “out of” and claudere means “to shut.” The term passed into Old French as escluder before entering English in the 15th century with the sense of keeping out or shutting out. The core idea across its history is the act of separation by boundary—imposing a limit that keeps something on the outside. Over time, exclude broadened to social and logical contexts: exclude a person from a club, exclude items from a list, or exclude variables from a calculation. The phonological form stabilized in Middle English as excluden, aligning with the Latin root and the French influence on English spelling under the great vowel shift and standardization periods. In contemporary usage, exclude can function transitively (exclude something) or intransitively in phrases like “to exclude from inclusion.” The word’s negative prefix ex- combined with -clude from claudere makes the meaning deeply anchored in “shut out” through the boundary concept, a semantic thread preserved across centuries. First known uses are attested in legal and scholastic texts where lists and memberships required explicit exclusions to define eligibility and boundaries. Today, exclude is a common term in data analysis, policy, and everyday speech, retaining its core sense of removing or omitting something from consideration or access.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "exclude" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "exclude"
-uce sounds
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