2 syllables: fore, most. Stress on fore.
FAWR-mohst
/ˈfɔˌɹmoʊst/
foremost is pronounced FAWR-mohst (/ˈfɔˌɹmoʊst/). It has two syllables (fore-most), with the stress on "fore". Foremost refers to the highest importance or rank, or the most prominent in a field or context. It denotes priority or precedence, signaling leadership or priority status. The term often functions as an adjective, and can be used adverbially in some contexts, meaning 'above all' or 'first and most fundamentally'.
Foremost refers to the highest importance or rank, or the most prominent in a field or context. It denotes priority or precedence, signaling leadership or priority status. The term often functions as an adjective, and can be used adverbially in some contexts, meaning 'above all' or 'first and most fundamentally'.
- You might pronounce the second syllable with a full vowel like /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ instead of a reduced /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ depending on rhythm; keep it light and quick. - Over-emphasizing the /r/ in non-rhotic varieties—either skip it (UK/AU) or lightly pronounce it (US) to match the accent. - Inconsistent stress: ensure primary stress is on the first syllable: FORe-most; avoid spreading the stress evenly across both syllables.
"In the conference, the foremost concern was patient safety."
"She is one of the foremost experts in climate science."
"Foremost among his achievements is the initiative that saved countless lives."
Phonetic guide: US: ˈfɔːrˌmoʊst; UK: ˈfɔːˌməʊst; AU: ˈfɔːˌməst. Stress pattern is two-syllable with primary stress on the first syllable and a lighter secondary on the second. Start with the open back rounded vowel /ɔː/ like 'thought' in many dialects, then /r/ if you have rhotic pronunciation, followed by /moʊst/ or /məʊst/ depending on accent. Ensure /r/ is not overpronounced in non-rhotic accents. Audio examples: you’ll hear a crisp, steady first syllable, a quick secondary cluster, and a clean final /st/.
Two frequent errors: (1) Turning the second syllable into a full vowel sound like /ɪ/ or /e/ instead of a reduced schwa in non-rhotic accents; (2) Misplacing the primary stress or making the first syllable too short. Correction: maintain a clear division: /ˈfɔːr/ as a strong stressed onset, then a quick /moʊst/ (US) or /məʊst/ (UK/AU) with a light, unstressed second syllable. Keep the /r/ crisp (US) or silent in non-rhotic contexts but not dropped entirely. Practicing with minimal pairs helps fix these issues.
US English tends to keep a pronounced rhotic /r/ in the first syllable, with a clear /oʊ/ in the second part: /ˈfɔːrˌmoʊst/. UK and AU variants are typically non-rhotic (the /r/ is not pronounced when not followed by a vowel), producing /ˈfɔːˌməʊst/ or /ˈfɔːˌmɒst/ in some regions, with less emphasis on rhoticity and more on vowel length in the second syllable. The main difference lies in rhoticity and the vowel quality of the second syllable: US /moʊst/ vs UK/AU /məʊst/.
The challenge centers on the two-part structure and vowel quality transitioning from /ɔː/ to /oʊ/ or /əʊ/. The first syllable carries a rounded back vowel with potential /r/ linkage in rhotic accents, while the second syllable requires a tight, fast transition to a close-mid or close vowel followed by /st/. Speakers often mis-stress by over-emphasizing the second syllable or softening the first, leading to mispronunciations such as /ˈfɔːmˌoʊst/ or /ˈfoːrˌmest/.
The word features a two-part phonotactic glide where the first syllable carries primary stress and a potentially rhotic or non-rhotic /r/ realization, depending on the accent, followed by a fast, dark or tense mid vowel in the second syllable before the final /st/. The critical detail is achieving a crisp /ˈfɔːr/ or /ˈfɔː/ onset, then a compact /moʊst/ or /məʊst/ with minimal vowel reduction to preserve natural rhythm.
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- US: emphasize /ˈfɔːr/ with a pronounced /r/ and follow with a clear /ˌmoʊst/. - UK/AU: non-rhotic; drop the final /r/ and keep /məʊst/ or /moːst/ depending on locale; keep vowel qualities rounded and tense in the first syllable. - Vowel note: first syllable often a long /ɔː/; second syllable uses a long /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ depending on region, with reduced vowel in non-rhotic speech. - IPA references: US /ˈfɔːrˌmoʊst/, UK /ˈfɔːˌməʊst/, AU /ˈfɔːˌməst/.
Foremost comes from the combination of fore-, a prefix meaning 'in front' or 'before,' and -most, a superlative suffix indicating the greatest degree of a quality. The origin in English traces to Old English fore- (before, in front) and most as a superlative marker; the modern sense of 'the first and most important' developed over centuries as compounds like foremost gained figurative weight in reference to leadership, priority, or precedence. The term appears in Middle English texts with similar constructions, gradually coalescing into a stable adjective/adverbial form by the Early Modern English period. The usage broadened from physical positioning (in front) to abstract primacy (most important) as academic, legal, and rhetorical language embraced superlatives to denote hierarchy and priority. First known uses are attested in religious and royal chronicles where leaders and primary concerns were described as the fore-most. By the 18th and 19th centuries, fore-most and foremost were common in formal writing, with the adverbial sense 'above all' becoming particularly idiomatic in English prose and oratory.
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Words that rhyme with "foremost"
-ast sounds
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