Explore means to travel through or examine something in detail, often with curiosity or systematic investigation. It implies a process of discovery, inspection, or surveying an area, object, or idea to gain information, experience, or understanding. The term can apply to physical exploration, as well as intellectual or exploratory activities.
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- Focus on the /pl/ blend: many learners insert a vowel between /p/ and /l/ or weaken the /l/ so it sounds more like /plər/ rather than /plɔːr/. Ensure the /s/ before /pl/ is crisp. - Final /r/ awareness: in rhotic accents, ending /r/ should be audible; in non-rhotic, it may be softer or absent; practice with and without rhoticity. - Vowel length: maintain the long /ɔː/ vowel in the second syllable; avoid reducing it to /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ in non-rhotic contexts. - Stress timing: avoid splintering the second syllable into two light syllables; keep /ˈsplɔːr/ as a single strong beat."
- US: emphasize rhotic /r/; allow a slightly tighter /ɔː/ and a clearer /ɹ/ at the end; IPA: /ɪkˈsplɔːɹ/. - UK: non-rhotic tendency, so final /r/ may be weaker or absent; keep /ɔː/ length and /spl/ cluster; IPA: /ɪkˈsplɔː/ . - AU: similar to UK with a broad /ɔː/ vowel; occasional diphthongization variations; IPA: /ɪkˈsplɔː/. Practical tip: practice with a tense jaw on the /ɔː/ and a light, quick expiration for /s/ and /p/; keep the /l/ clear without flapping.”,
"We decided to explore the ancient city on foot, taking narrow alleys and hidden courtyards."
"Researchers will explore new data to uncover patterns not previously seen."
"She loves to explore different cuisines, trying flavors from around the world."
"The project invites students to explore sustainable solutions through hands-on experiments."
The verb explore traces to the Old French esplorer, from Late Latin explorare, which combines ex- (out) with plorare (to cry out, bewail, or discover). The Latin root plorare carried a sense of uncovering or seeking out through inquiry. In medieval and early modern Latin, explorare meant to investigate or examine thoroughly. The English form emerged in the 14th–15th centuries, originally with senses related to investigation and examination. By the 16th century, it broadened to include physical trekking or travel for discovery, especially in geographic or scientific contexts. The notion of “to explore” evolved from careful probing to a general act of seeking new knowledge or experiences, often implying movement and exposure to unfamiliar environments. Over time, explore also acquired metaphorical uses, such as exploring ideas, options, or possibilities, reflecting its core sense of deliberate inquiry and discovery. The word retains a strong emphasis on systematic, curious, and sometimes adventurous inquiry, aligning with both empirical investigations and exploratory travel. First known use appears in Middle English texts, with documented forms in early modern English literature, continuously integrating the concept of practical or intellectual investigation into everyday usage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "explore" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "explore" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "explore"
-oor sounds
-ore sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as ex-PLORE with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /ɪkˈsplɔːr/. Begin with a quick, lightly stressed initial /ɪk/ syllable, then form the /ˈsplɔːr/ cluster: /s/ + /pl/ + /ɔː/ + r. Keep the /r/ rhotic in rhotic accents; in non-rhotic variants you can slightly drop the postvocalic /r/ at the end. Mouth posture: tongue tip near the alveolar ridge for /s/ and /z/ flavors, lips relaxed, jaw slightly lowered for /ɔː/. Audio tip: you’ll feel the tension peak in the /pl/ blend; ensure the /l/ is clear before the vowel. Repeat in slow, then at natural speed to capture the rhythm: ex-PLOR.”,
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable (ex-PLOR-e) or flattening the second syllable; (2) dropping the rhotic /r/ in US/UK/AU rhotic places, making it sound like /ɪkˈsplɔː/ without rhotic ending; (3) mispronouncing /pl/ as separate segments with a weak /l/ and a glide, producing /ɪkspləɔːr/. Corrections: ensure the /pl/ cluster is tightly connected, crisper /s/ before /p/, and maintain the /ɔː/ vowel length; finish with a clearly pronounced /r/ in rhotic accents. Use minimal pairs like “splash” vs “plow” to internalize the /pl/ blend and keep the second syllable strong.”,
US pronunciation: /ɪkˈsplɔːr/ with a strong rhotic /r/ at the end and a slightly tensed vowel in /ɔː/; UK: /ɪkˈsplɔː/ with a non-fully pronounced /r/ (non-rhotic), often a slightly shorter final /ə/ or clipped /r/ depending on speaker; AU: /ɪkˈsplɔː/ similar to UK but with Australian vowel quality (broader /ɔː/ and slight non-rhotic tendency). All share the same syllable count and stress, but rhoticity and vowel color differ. Focus on keeping the second syllable crisp while the final vowel can be reduced in some UK and AU varieties.”,
Key challenges include the consonant cluster /spl/ after the initial /ɪk/ and the long vowel /ɔː/ in the second syllable. The /s/ before the /p/ blends with a rapid /pl/ sequence, requiring precise timing. The final /r/ can be subtle in non-rhotic accents, causing the word to sound truncated. People often mispronounce as ex-plor without the /ˈ/ stress or collapse the vowel, turning it into a simpler /ɪkˈsplɔː/. Practice keeping the /s/ and /p/ tightly linked and ensuring the rhotics or their absence don’t obscure the syllable break.”,
Question: Is the second syllable a true stressed syllable or does the emphasis dip in connected speech? Answer: Yes, the second syllable is the primary stressed syllable in standard English; you hear it most clearly when the word is spoken in isolation or emphasized in a sentence. In connected speech, you may reduce the first syllable slightly, but the /ˈsplɔːr/ segment retains the prominence. Practically, think of stressing the /spl/ onset and sustaining the /ɔː/ vowel before the final /r/ (or its silent form in non-rhotic accents).
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- Shadowing: listen to native speakers say explORE and imitate rhythm; then repeat at half-speed, then normal speed, maintaining the /ɪ/ and the /ˈsplɔːr/ rhythm. - Minimal pairs: practice with /ɪk/ + /splɔːr/ vs /ɪkˈsplɔː/ vs /ɪkˈsplɒɹ/ (rhotic vs non-rhotic) to lock in stress patterns. - Rhythm: ensure weak-strong-syllable pattern; practice saying the word in longer phrases: “to ex-ploRE a new path” to anchor stress. - Sentence practice: two context sentences that carry natural intonation: “Experts will ex-ploRE the map.” “When you ex-ploRE, you learn more.” - Recording: record yourself, compare to references, adjust vowel length and final /r/ clarity. - Mouth positions: practice starting with a small mouth opening for /ɪ/ then tension for /s/ + /pl/ cluster. - Fluency drill: incorporate the word into a tongue-twister to strengthen memory: “Ex-ploRE the slippery slope of science.”
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