2 syllables: ghett, o. Stress on ghett.
GET-oh
/ˈɡɛtoʊ/
ghetto is pronounced GET-oh (/ˈɡɛtoʊ/). It has two syllables (ghett-o), with the stress on "ghett". Ghetto refers to a part of a city, typically low-income and historically segregated, where a specific ethnic or social group predominantly resides. It can also describe a marginalized, urban neighborhood with concentrated poverty, or, informally, a stigmatized area. The term carries social and historical implications about segregation, housing policy, and urban development, and is used in both descriptive and, at times, pejorative contexts.
Ghetto refers to a part of a city, typically low-income and historically segregated, where a specific ethnic or social group predominantly resides. It can also describe a marginalized, urban neighborhood with concentrated poverty, or, informally, a stigmatized area. The term carries social and historical implications about segregation, housing policy, and urban development, and is used in both descriptive and, at times, pejorative contexts.
- You may overemphasize the second syllable, making it sound like /ˈdʒɛt.toʊ/ with equal stress; keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈdʒɛ/. - Avoid substituting the initial /dʒ/ with a simple /d/ or /t/; ensure affricate release is clean and brief, not a hard stop. - The second syllable often gets reduced; practice preserving a clear /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ glide without turning it into a short /o/ or an /ə/; use a light, trailing diphthong.
"The film portrays life in a New York ghetto during the 1960s."
"She grew up in a rough ghetto but pursued education and left the neighborhood."
"Some residents advocate for ghetto revitalization projects and better services."
Pronounce as /ˈdʒɛt.oʊ/ in US and UK English and /ˈdʒɛt.əʊ/ in Australian English. The first syllable has a stressed DGE sound, like jeh- with a soft J (dʒ) and short e as in “bet.” The second syllable is a long o sound, or a reduced o with a final schwa in some accents. Mouth posture: start with lips relaxed, tip of tongue near the alveolar ridge for the initial /dʒ/; the second syllable closes with the open-mid back vowel then a trailing /oʊ/ glide. IPA: US /ˈdʒɛt.oʊ/, UK /ˈdʒɛtəʊ/; AU /ˈdʒɛtəʊ/.
Common mistakes include mispronouncing the initial affricate as /ɡ/ or /t/ + /oʊ/ without the proper /dʒ/ onset, and turning the second syllable into a short /o/ or /ə/ with no clear long vowel. Another frequent error is reducing the first syllable to a lax /ˈɡɛ/ or adding an extra syllable. Correction: produce /dʒ/ at the start, keep the stressed first syllable with /ɛ/ as in bet, and pronounce the final /oʊ/ clearly. Emphasize two-syllable rhythm: /ˈdʒɛ.təʊ/ in UK/AU. Practice with minimal pairs like “jet/let” to smooth the onset, and glide the final into a full /oʊ/.
In US English, /ˈdʒɛt.oʊ/ with a rhotic influence not affecting the /oʊ/; in many UK varieties, /ˈdʒɛ.təʊ/ uses a lightly reduced second syllable and a late, wide /əʊ/ diphthong; Australian tends to maintain /ˈdʒɛ.təʊ/ with a centralized vowel in the second syllable and a less pronounced rhoticity. Note that vowel length and vowel quality shift slightly; stress remains on the first syllable. Listening practice across podcasts from each region helps; use IPA notes to compare /t/ release and the presence or absence of a strong rhotic /r/ influence.
The difficulty lies in the initial /dʒ/ affricate cluster and the two-syllable rhythm with an unstressed second syllable in non-rhotic accents. The /ɛ/ vowel in the first syllable can be subtle and easily merged with /e/ or /æ/, and the second syllable’s /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ is a diphthong that requires careful glide timing. Practicing with minimal pairs and tempo adjustments helps. Pay attention to alveolar tongue positioning for /dʒ/ and ensure the 2-syllable cadence is maintained at natural speech speed.
A unique aspect is maintaining STRESS on the first syllable while allowing natural vowel reduction in the second syllable. The first syllable is clearly articulated with a strong onset /dʒ/ and /ɛ/ vowel; the second syllable often reduces toward a weaker /əʊ/ or /oʊ/ depending on accent, but should not be elided. Keeping the second syllable audible with a gentle glide helps preserve natural rhythm across contexts, particularly in conversational speech.
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- US: rhotics do not dramatically affect the word; keep /ˈdʒɛt.oʊ/ with a full /oʊ/ glide. - UK: often ends with /təʊ/ or /toʊ/ depending on speaker; the second syllable is lighter with a schwa before the /ʊ/ like /ˈdʒɛtəʊ/. - AU: similar to UK, but vowel quality in the second syllable can be more centralized; maintain /ˈdʒɛtəʊ/ with a clear onset and moderate vowel height. IPA references: /ˈdʒɛt.oʊ/, /ˈdʒɛtəʊ/.
The term ghetto originated in Venice in the 16th century, where the city’s Jewish population was confined to a specific district called the Ghetto Nuovo. The exact origin of the word is debated, with theories linking it to the Italian phrase gheto or ghèto meaning foundry, owing to Venice’s metalworking district nearby. By the 19th and 20th centuries, the word spread globally to describe segregated urban districts associated with minority or impoverished communities. In the United States, the term gained widespread social relevance during the mid-20th century as cities enacted redlining and segregation, embedding the concept of legally or de facto segregated neighborhoods into everyday discourse. Over time, “ghetto” broadened in slang usage, sometimes used to evoke grit or authenticity in a cultural sense, while in other contexts it remains a sensitive, loaded term tied to systemic inequities. First known documented usage in English appears in the 19th century, with later citations in American urban sociology and literature reflecting evolving attitudes toward race, class, and urban policy. In contemporary usage, it can be neutral descriptive, descriptive in a negative sense, or reclaimed in some communities as part of cultural identity, though many still regard it as pejorative when applied to people or neighborhoods. The word’s semantic trajectory illustrates shifts from formal municipal vocabulary to a stigmatized label, and then to a broader, sometimes ironic or reclaimed cultural descriptor, while always acknowledging its historically rooted social ramifications.
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Words that rhyme with "ghetto"
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