3 syllables: fel, low, ship. Stress on fel.
FEL-oh-ship
/ˈfɛloʊˌʃɪp/
fellowship is pronounced FEL-oh-ship (/ˈfɛloʊˌʃɪp/). It has three syllables (fel-low-ship), with the stress on "fel". Fellowship refers to a group of people sharing common interests or aims, or a program granting someone financial support to study or research. It also denotes the sense of companionship or fellowship among members. The term combines social affinity with a formal or organized commitment, often tied to a defined purpose or status.
Fellowship refers to a group of people sharing common interests or aims, or a program granting someone financial support to study or research. It also denotes the sense of companionship or fellowship among members. The term combines social affinity with a formal or organized commitment, often tied to a defined purpose or status.
- You often insert an extra syllable or misplace stress, saying FEL-low-ship with weak /ˈfɛl/ and a muted /oʊ/. Focus on keeping primary stress at the start and delivering a crisp diphthong in the middle. - The /l/ after /f/ can be too light or too dark; aim for a clear alveolar /l/ with the tongue contact at the alveolar ridge while the lips are relaxed. - The final /ʃɪp/ can sound like /ʃɪ/ or /ʃɪp/ if you drop the /p/. Maintain a crisp /p/ release at the end, especially in fast speech.
"The university offers a research fellowship to select candidates."
"She joined a fellowship program to advance her fieldwork."
"The fellowship of the mountaineers kept everyone motivated during the expedition."
Pronounce as /ˈfɛl.oʊˌʃɪp/ in US and /ˈfel.əʊˌʃɪp/ in UK, with the primary stress on the first syllable FEL, and secondary weight on the penultimate syllable -ship. Position the mouth to start with a mid-open front lax vowel /ɛ/ for ‘fell’, glide to a near-close /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ in ‘low’, then a clear /ʃ/ for ‘ship’. You’ll want a light, quick transition between /l/ and /oʊ/ and keep /ʃɪp/ crisp. Listening reference: try Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries’ audio for accuracy and note the slight American rhotacized vs rhotic differences if needed.
Common errors: 1) Turning /ˈfɛləʊ/ into a flat /ˈfɛləʊ/ without reducing the middle syllable; 2) Misplacing the primary stress, saying /ˈfɛl.oʊˌʃɪp/ with weak initial emphasis; 3) Blurring the /l/ and /oʊ/ into a combined sound. Correction: keep /ˈfɛl/ as a strong onset, ensure a clear /oʊ/ before /ʃɪp/, and maintain a light but distinct /l/ alveolar placement. Practice saying FEL-low-ship with a quick glide between /l/ and /oʊ/ and a crisp /ʃɪp/ at the end.
In US English, expect /ˈfɛl.oʊˌʃɪp/ with non-rhoticity not affecting /r/ (no /r/ after vowel). In UK English, /ˈfel.əʊˌʃɪp/ may show a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable and a slightly shorter /oʊ/; the /ɹ/ is not present. In Australian English, /ˈfel.əˌʃɪp/ features a flatter /ə/ in the second syllable and a more clipped rhythm. Across all, the stress remains on the first syllable; the main variation lies in the central vowel quality and the duration of the /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ glide.
The difficulty lies in coordinating a three-syllable sequence with a light mid-central vowel followed by a strong /oʊ/ glide and a final /ʃɪp/. Specifically, producing the /l/ cluster after /f/ and maintaining a distinct /ʃ/ before /ɪp/ requires precise tongue movement and timing. Additionally, the two-glide transition between /l/ and /oʊ/ can blur if you rush. Slow, focused practice helps you lock the sequence: /ˈfɛl/ + /oʊ/ + /ʃɪp/ with clean /l/ and crisp /ʃ/.
No, there are no silent letters in fellowship. Every syllable has a sound: /ˈfɛl/ includes /f/, /ɛ/, and /l/; /oʊ/ is a voiced diphthong; and /ʃɪp/ contains /ʃ/, /ɪ/, and /p/. The caution is more about subtle vowel quality and consonant blending than silent letters. Paying attention to the /l/ and the diphthong before /ʃ/ will help you pronounce it clearly in connected speech.
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- US: /ˈfɛl.oʊˌʃɪp/ with a pronounced /oʊ/ and a rhotic-ready posture; keep vowel length balanced and avoid over-reducing /oʊ/. - UK: /ˈfel.əʊˌʃɪp/ tends to have a lighter second syllable; maintain the /əʊ/ quality and a clear /ʃɪp/. - AU: /ˈfel.əˌʃɪp/ often features a schwa-like central vowel in the second syllable, with a slightly flatter intonation; keep the /ɹ/ absence consistent and front vowels well-formed. Reference IPA above for tuning.
Fellowship comes from Middle English felshipe, combining fel(u) “fellow, partner, companion” with -ship, a suffix indicating state or condition. The root fel(a) traces to Old English gefæll, meaning ‘companion’ or ‘participant,’ related to Middle Dutch fellic and German gefell. The sense evolved from “the condition of being a fellow” to include both social kinship and the more formal association implied by organizations and scholarships. By the early modern period, fellowship was used to denote a community bound by shared interests, and later, in academia, fellowships referred to financial awards and appointments that confer status and resources tied to research or study. First known printed uses appear in medieval and early modern English texts describing groups or colleagues sharing in a common enterprise, with the modern academic sense crystallizing in the 19th and 20th centuries as universities formalized fellowship programs.
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Words that rhyme with "fellowship"
-hip sounds
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