2 syllables: gen, tly. Stress on gen.
JENT-lee
/ˈdʒɛntli/
gently is pronounced JENT-lee (/ˈdʒɛntli/). It has two syllables (gen-tly), with the stress on "gen". Gently means in a mild, careful, and soft manner, without force or harshness. It describes actions done softly and with consideration, often to avoid causing harm or discomfort. The term conveys tenderness or carefulness, and is commonly used for physical actions, tones of voice, and approaches to handling tasks or people.
Gently means in a mild, careful, and soft manner, without force or harshness. It describes actions done softly and with consideration, often to avoid causing harm or discomfort. The term conveys tenderness or carefulness, and is commonly used for physical actions, tones of voice, and approaches to handling tasks or people.
- You may over-release the /t/ in the middle, turning /ˈdʒen.tli/ into /ˈdʒɛn.ti/ or /ˈdʒɛn.tliː/. Aim for a light, quick touch and almost no aspiration on the /t/. - The second syllable can become too prominent; keep /tli/ as a brief cluster, not two separate sounds. Use a smooth transition from /n/ to /t/ to /l/. - Some speakers insert a full /i/ vowel in the final syllable; practice with a very short /li/ to avoid sounding like /ˈdʒen.tliː/. - In rapid speech, the /e/ can merge toward a schwa; maintain /e/ as a clear, fronted vowel to keep the word intelligible.
"She placed the fragile vase on the shelf gently to avoid any slips."
"The nurse spoke gently to the frightened child, hoping to soothe him."
"Allow the fabric to unfold gently as you iron it."
Pronounce as /ˈdʒen.tli/. The first syllable carries primary stress. Start with a voiced postalveolar affricate for 'j' sound, then the short 'e' as in 'bed', followed by an unstressed 'n'. The second syllable is a quick, reduced 'tli' sequence, with a light, almost elided 't' and a soft 'li' ending. Mouth positions: lips lightly relaxed, tongue tip near the alveolar ridge for /dʒ/ and /t/, teeth gently together for the /n/, and the tongue tip taps slightly for the final /l/ before a brief /i/ like the 'ee' in 'see'.
Common errors include pronouncing the first syllable as 'gen' with a hard 'g' as in 'get' (/dʒɛnt.li/) or over-expanding the second syllable to 'gently' with a pronounced 't' and separate 'lee' (/ˈdʒɛn.tli/). To correct: keep the first syllable as /dʒen/ with a soft 'j' sound and short 'e', and shorten the second syllable to a quick /tli/ without fully releasing a heavy 't' or an elongated 'ee'.
In US/UK/AU, the initial /dʒ/ remains same. Differences lie in vowel quality of /e/ and the rhoticity of following vowels. US and AU often have a slightly tenser /e/ and a more pronounced /t/ release in some speakers, though politely reduced. UK speakers may show a slightly crisper consonant cluster, with a more forward tongue position for /e/. All share stress on the first syllable; the final /li/ tends to be a short, light syllable in all. IPA guides: US /ˈdʒen.tli/, UK /ˈdʒen.tli/, AU /ˈdʒen.tli/.
The difficulty lies in coordinating a quick, light /t/ release between closely connected syllables and maintaining a soft /t/ followed by the syllabic /l/ without a heavy, aspirated stop. Additionally, the vowel in /dʒen/ is short and lax in rapid speech, so keeping it distinct while gliding into /tli/ can be tricky. Practicing with minimal pairs and careful tempo helps, as does keeping the tongue low-mid for /e/ and relaxed jaw to avoid over-enunciation.
A unique feature is the short, almost-truncated first syllable /dʒen/ followed by a very light /tli/. The second syllable often merges quickly, producing a near-syllabic /li/ that sounds more like /li/ than /lɪ/. This gives the overall cadence a quick, soft tail, which is a hallmark of careful, gentle enunciation in connected speech.
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- US: keep rhoticity as in general American; ensure the /r/ is not involved here, but US vowels tend to be tenser; emphasize short /e/ and light /t/. - UK: crisper consonant accuracy; a slightly shorter /e/ length and a more clipped /t/ release; avoid overly rounded lips. - AU: tends toward flatter intonation with slightly broader vowels; maintain a short, crisp /e/ and a consistent, light /t/; avoid linking into following sounds too strongly.
Gently originates from the word gentle, which traces to the Old French gentil, later Medieval Latin gentilis, meaning noble, refined, or well-born. The sense then broadened to describe a mild, benevolent quality, not just social status. In Middle English, gentle took on the meaning of well-muited, kind, or soft in manner, which laid groundwork for the adverbial form gently. The suffix -ly is from Old English -lice, forming adverbs from adjectives. The contemporary sense of doing something with mildness and care emerged across the Early Modern English period as writers sought precision in describing nuanced manners of action and tone. First attestations appear in Middle English texts, with usage increasing as grammars and dictionaries codified adverbial forms in the 15th–17th centuries. Today, gently retains its core sense of soft, careful action, while can also extend metaphorically to approaches or attitudes, such as “gently persuade” or “gently remind.”
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Words that rhyme with "gently"
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