2 syllables: fur, nace. Stress on fur.
FUR-nuhs
/ˈfɝnəs/
furnace is pronounced FUR-nuhs (/ˈfɝnəs/). It has two syllables (fur-nace), with the stress on "fur". Furnace refers to a structure or apparatus for heating, especially one that burns fuel to generate heat for industrial processes or central heating. It can also mean a highly intense heat or a place of burning, such as a furnace in a workshop or home heating system. The term conveys controlled combustion and the production of high, continuous warmth. In everyday use it most often describes heating equipment.
Furnace refers to a structure or apparatus for heating, especially one that burns fuel to generate heat for industrial processes or central heating. It can also mean a highly intense heat or a place of burning, such as a furnace in a workshop or home heating system. The term conveys controlled combustion and the production of high, continuous warmth. In everyday use it most often describes heating equipment.
"The factory's furnace roared to life, inflating the room with a dull, steady heat."
"We replaced the old furnace with a more efficient model for winter."
"The metal was melted inside the furnace until it flowed like liquid gold."
Pronounce it as US/UK/AU: /ˈfɜːr.nəs/ (US: /ˈfɜːrnəs/). The stress is on the first syllable: FUR-nace. Start with an open back unrounded vowel similar to 'fur', then an r-colored vowel, followed by a soft 'n' and a schwa-like ending 'əs'. Make sure the second syllable has a quick, light 'nəs' for natural rhythm. Listening to a native speaker can help; try audio references in dictionaries for precise vowel length.
Two frequent errors are: 1) mispronouncing the first syllable as 'for' (/fɔːr/) instead of the tense, rhotic /ɜː/ vowel; correct by practicing /ˈfɜːr/ with a relaxed jaw and hooded tongue. 2) Overarticulating the second syllable, saying /fɜːrnæz/ or 'furnayz'; correct by keeping the ending light and reducing the vowel in the second syllable to a schwa /ə/ or /əs/. Practice minimal pairs to fix the vowel in the second syllable.
In US English, the first syllable often has a rhotacized /ɜːr/ with a clearer /r/; in UK English, you may hear a shorter /ɜː/ with a non-rhotic tone and lighter 'r' after consonants. Australian English tends to be rhotic but with a broader, flatter vowel in /ɜː/ and a slightly clipped final /ˌəs/. Overall, the rhyme remains approximate to /ˈfɜː.nəs/ across accents, with small vowel length and rhoticity variations.
The difficulty comes from the tense, mid-back vowel /ɜː/ in the first syllable and the unstressed, schwa-like second syllable /əs/ that follows a nasal /n/. The combination requires keeping the mouth open for /ɜː/ without adding an extra vowel before /n/ and then reducing the second syllable quickly. Misplacing the stress or lengthening the final vowel can make you sound like 'furnnace'. Understanding the lip and tongue position helps you stabilize the rhythm.
The unique aspect is maintaining the crisp 'r' and the quick transition into the unstressed /ə/ or /əs/. You should focus on the exact point where the /ɜː/ transitions to /r/ in US speech and the following /n/ that should not be overly nasalized. Practicing with minimal pairs that differ in vowel and consonant can lock in the correct mouth positions for both syllables.
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US: /ˈfɜːrnəs/; the /ɜː/ is rhotic with a clear /r/; UK: /ˈfɜː.nəs/ with non-rhotic tendency and softer /r/ or silent post-vocalic /r/; AU: /ˈfɜː.nəs/ often rhotic, vowels slightly broader and more clipped; In all, the second syllable remains a quick, unstressed /əs/ or /əs/; IPA shows /ɜː/ in all variants, but vowel length and rhotic realization vary. Focus on maintaining the first syllable’s tense quality while keeping a light, fast second syllable across accents.
The word furnace comes from Old French fornase, fornacis, from Latin furnax, later furnarius meaning 'baker' or 'oven', with related terms in other Romance languages. It entered Middle English via Norman influence, aligning with words for ovens and kilns. The core concept has long been tied to places that generate heat through combustion or high temperatures. Over time, furnace broadened in English to include both the heating appliance in buildings and industrial kilns used in metalworking and glassmaking. The shift from a purely oven-like meaning to a modern heating system also reflects the generalization of combustion chambers in technology. First known written uses appear in medieval documents referring to kilns and metalworking furnaces, with the sense of a device that produces sustained heat for processing materials gradually prevailing in the Early Modern period as domestic heating and industrial processes demanded reliable thermal sources.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "furnace" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "furnace"
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