3 syllables: Gen, u, ine. Stress on Gen.
JEN-yuh-wuhn
/ˈdʒɛnjəwən/
Genuine is pronounced JEN-yuh-wuhn (/ˈdʒɛnjəwən/). It has three syllables (Gen-u-ine), with the stress on "Gen". Genuine is an adjective meaning authentic or real, not fake or pretended. It describes something true to its nature or origin, sincere in intention or feeling, and often conveys a sense of reliability. In everyday use, it signals trustworthiness and correctness, whether referring to a person, an object, or a claim.
adjectiveGenuine is an adjective meaning authentic or real, not fake or pretended. It describes something true to its nature or origin, sincere in intention or feeling, and often conveys a sense of reliability. In everyday use, it signals trustworthiness and correctness, whether referring to a person, an object, or a claim.
"Her apology felt genuine and heartfelt."
"That antique painting is genuine; the signature matches the original artist."
"He gave a genuine smile when greeting his old friend."
Genuine is pronounced with three syllables: /ˈdʒen.ju.ɪn/ in US and /ˈdʒen.juː.ɪn/ in UK. The primary stress is on the first syllable GEN-. Position your tongue high at the start for /dʒ/ (as in judge), then relax to a mid-central vowel in the second syllable /ju/, followed by a light /ɪn/ or /ɪn/ at the end. Think “JEN-yoo-in.” For audio reference, compare with native speaker pronunciations on Pronounce or Forvo and echo the exact vowel length and diphthong transitions.
Two common errors: 1) Reducing /ju/ to a simple /u/ or /juː/ without the correct/ɪ/ ending, which makes it sound like 'jen-oo-n' instead of 'jen-yoo-in.' Correct by keeping /ju/ as a tight, short glide into /ɪn/. 2) Misplacing stress or shortening the final -ine too much, giving /ˈdʒɛn.juːn/ or /ˈdʒɛn.dʒə.n/; ensure you retain the three-syllable rhythm and keep the final /ɪn/ clearly audible. Practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the vowels and keep the right syllable weight.
In US English, /ˈdʒɛn.ju.ɪn/ with a shorter, crisp final /ɪn/ and a pronounced /ju/ between. UK English often uses /ˈdʒen.juː.ɪn/ with a longer /uː/ in the second syllable and a slightly less rhotic quality, though still non-rhotic in some environments. Australian English typically features a rounded /juː/ and a full, clear first syllable /ˈdʒɛn/. Across all, the first syllable onset /dʒ/ remains constant; the key variation is the middle vowel sequence and the length of the second syllable’s vowel.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable rhythm and the glide from /j/ to /u/ into /ɪn/. Speakers often misarticulate the /ju/ as two separate phonemes or merge the final /ɪn/ with a schwa, producing /ˈdʒɛn.juːn/ or /ˈdʒɛn.ɪn/. Also, the initial /dʒ/ can be softened or de-emphasized in fast speech, muddying onset clarity. Practicing the exact /ˈdʒen.ju.ɪn/ shape with deliberate mouth positions helps maintain precision in casual speech.
A nuanced query is: does the /ju/ create a j- + u glide that slightly delays the final /ɪn/? In careful speech you’ll hear a clear, though brief, /ju/ before the /ɪn/. In connected speech, the /ɪn/ can reduce to a near-schwa before a following word, but the underlying phonemic structure remains /ˈdʒen.ju.ɪn/. Paying attention to the glide helps with both clarity and natural connected speech.
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Genuine comes from the Latin genuinus, from genu- meaning knee, bent with quality, and originally conveying something ‘real from the knee’ in the sense of being authentic or proper, as opposed to a counterfeit that might be pressed or forced. The Latin form genuinus passed into Old French as genuin, and then into English in the 14th century with the sense of ‘true, authentic, real, not counterfeit.’ Through the centuries, the word broadened to cover truthfulness of character (sincerity) in addition to authenticity of objects. The journey reflects a longstanding association in many languages between realness and intrinsic origin, rather than mere appearance. First known use in English traces to late Middle English, with scholarly texts and legal contexts adopting genuine to distinguish legitimate artifacts or claims from spurious ones. Over time, its semantic field consolidated around two core notions: authenticity of material origin and sincerity of intent, reinforcing its use across everyday speech and formal discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Genuine" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Genuine"
-ein sounds
-ain sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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