2 syllables: Good Mor, ning. Stress on ning.
guud-MAWR-ning
/ɡʊd ˈmɔɹnɪŋ/
Good Morning is pronounced guud-MAWR-ning (/ɡʊd ˈmɔɹnɪŋ/). It has two syllables (Good Mor-ning), with the stress on "ning". Good Morning is a common greeting consisting of two words: GOOD, a clipped, rounded syllable with backward lip rounding, and MOR-ning, a two-syllable derivative with primary stress on the first syllable of MOR- and a lighter second, often reduced. The expression functions as a social convention to acknowledge the start of the day and to initiate polite conversation in English-speaking contexts.
nounGood Morning is a common greeting consisting of two words: GOOD, a clipped, rounded syllable with backward lip rounding, and MOR-ning, a two-syllable derivative with primary stress on the first syllable of MOR- and a lighter second, often reduced. The expression functions as a social convention to acknowledge the start of the day and to initiate polite conversation in English-speaking contexts.
"Good morning! How did you sleep last night?"
"Good morning, everyone—thanks for coming to the meeting."
"She greeted me with a cheerful good morning as I left the house."
-PRONUNCIATION GUIDE- Good Morning is pronounced /ˈɡʊd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ in US and UK; AU is similar: /ˈɡɔːd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/. Stress falls on the first syllable of each word: GOOD and MOR-ning. Start with /ɡ/ as a hard, voiced stop, round your lips for /ʊ/ in GOOD, then move to /mɔːr/ with an open mid-back vowel and an r-colored ending in rhotic varieties. The second syllable MOR- includes /ɔː/ as a long vowel, followed by /nɪŋ/ with a clear /n/ and the reduced /ɪŋ/. Audio reference: you’ll hear the primary stress on GOOD and MOR- in most native speech; listen for a slight rise in pitch on MOR- before a lighter ending.
Common errors: 1) Slurring GOOD into a quick /ɡʊd/ into /ɡuːd/; keep the short tense /ʊ/. 2) Turning MORNING into /ˈmɔrnɪŋ/ with a reduced /ɔː/ to a shorter vowel; maintain /ɔː/ in the first morpheme of MOR- and crisp /n/ and /ŋ/. 3) Not fully pronouncing the final -ing; avoid de-emphasizing /ŋ/ or making it nearly silent. Correction: articulate /ɡ/ + /ʊ/ with a brief coda, then elongate /ɔːr/ before the /nɪŋ/ cluster; keep the /ŋ/ clear.
In US and UK rhotic varieties, /ɡʊd/ vs /ɡɔːd/ can differ slightly: US often favors /ɡʊd/ with a short /ʊ/ and exact /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/; UK tends to a more open /ɔː/ and a non-rhotic /ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ in some accents, though most varieties in the UK still preserve /ɔː/ before the final /ŋ/. Australian English generally uses /ɡɔːd/ with a flatter mouth position and less rhoticity, approaching /ɔː/. Accent differences are most evident in vowel quality and rhotic pronunciation; watch vowel length, postvocalic r-dropping in some UK dialects. IPA references: US ˈɡʊd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ, UK ˈɡʊd ˈmɔːnɪŋ, AU ˈɡɔːd ˈmɔːnɪŋ.
Two main challenges: 1) The short, rounded /ʊ/ in GOOD can be hard for non-native speakers when combined with the alveolar stop /d/, causing lengthened or clumsy transitions. 2) The MOR- portion requires precise mouth opening and a clear, long /ɔː/ before a quick /nɪŋ/; many learners reduce or merge /ɔː/ with /ɪ/ or /oʊ/. Practicing with careful attention to lip rounding and vowel length helps maintain natural cadence.
Its two-word structure with a stressed, long MOR- syllable and a final -ing cluster can cause rhythm shifts. The phrase also combines a closed, tense GOOD with an elongated MOR- on a single beat in many registers. This creates a subtle pause and a momentum shift between the words; you’ll often hear a slight rising intonation on MOR-, then a quick, softer tail on -ning, signaling readiness to engage.
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US: rhotic accent, pronounced /ɡʊd/ with a tighter /ɪŋ/ ending; UK: sometimes non-rhotic, /ˈɡʊd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ with less r-coloring; AU: flatter vowel quality, often closer to /ˈɡɔːd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/. Vowel shifts: GOOD uses /ʊ/ or /ɔː/ depending on speaker; MOR- uses a long /ɔː/ in most varieties. Consonants: ensure /d/ is released crisply; in fast speech, the /d/ can be lightly released or elided in casual speech, but avoid full elision in formal contexts. IPA references: US/UK/AU: /ˈɡʊd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ (US/UK), AU /ˈɡɔːd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/.
The phrase Good Morning originated in the early modern English period as a standard morning greeting. It is a compound of the adjective good, used in its positive sense, and the noun morning from Old English morgen, related to the Proto-Germanic *morganaz, rooted in the concept of the early part of the day. The form Good Morning coalesced into a conventional greeting by the 17th century, paralleling similar salutations such as good day and good morrow. Over time, good morrow faded from common usage, while Good Morning became a fixed, neutral-to-wriendly civic greeting across many English-speaking regions. The expression preserves the emphatic polite function of acknowledging the new day while signaling social engagement. Its usage broadened from formal addresses to casual, everyday exchanges in homes, workplaces, and public spaces, often accompanied by a standard prosodic rise-fall pattern in English-speaking communities. First known printed instances appear in early modern texts and correspondence, with increasing frequency in 18th- to 19th-century letters and diaries, reflecting daily routines and social etiquette.
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Words that rhyme with "Good Morning"
-ing sounds
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