One syllable: group.
/ɡɹup/
group is pronounced /ɡɹup/. It has one syllable (group), with the stress on "group". A small assembly of people sharing a common purpose or interest. In general use, it refers to any number of individuals gathered together, from a casual bunch to a formal committee. As a verb, to group means to classify or arrange items into sets based on shared characteristics.
Say it backA small assembly of people sharing a common purpose or interest. In general use, it refers to any number of individuals gathered together, from a casual bunch to a formal committee. As a verb, to group means to classify or arrange items into sets based on shared characteristics.
"The study group meets every Tuesday to discuss the readings."
"She joined a hiking group to explore the regional trails."
"The factory workers were organized into small groups for safety drills."
Pronounce as /ɡruːp/. The initial /ɡ/ is a hard g, followed by the long back rounded /uː/ (like 'oo' in 'food'), then the /p/ final stop. The key is a tight, rounded lip position for the /uː/ and a clean, unreleased feel at the /p/ in careful speech. In connected speech you may hear a very short vowel before the /r/ if your dialect admits it, but in standard American/UK/AU it remains a single syllable with the long /uː/ vowel and final /p/.
Common errors include turning the long /uː/ into a shorter /ʊ/ or /ɜː/ in non-native speech, and adding a postvocalic /r/ or an extra syllable. Another frequent error is delaying the final /p/ or releasing it with a plosive release leading to over-articulation. Correct by sustaining the /uː/ vowel for a full syllable duration and ending with a crisp, unreleased /p/. Keep lips rounded for the vowel and avoid adding a vowel after the /p/ in clipped speech.
In US English, /ɡruːp/ is light on the front vowels and often reduced r-coloring is less. In UK English, non-rhotic tendencies may affect vowel length slightly, but /ɡruːp/ remains a pure long /uː/ with a crisp final /p/. In Australian English, vowel length is also /uː/ with slightly broader, brighter vowel quality and rapid, clipped final consonant. Across all, the main feature is the long /uː/ followed by /p/, with minimal postconsonantal vocalization.
The difficulty lies in producing a clean, long /uː/ vowel immediately followed by a final voiceless stop /p/ without inserting an extra sound or shortening the vowel. The transition from a rounded, high back vowel to a bilabial stop requires precise lip closure and timing to avoid a lisp or epenthetic vowel. In fast speech, some speakers may reduce the vowel or blur the final /p/. Practice sustaining the /uː/ and terminating with a sharp, unreleased /p/.
The critical nuance is the singling out of the long /uː/ vowel and the absence of an audible syllabic element after the /p/. Unlike some words that have a subtle schwa in the middle, 'group' is a closed monosyllable with a strong, checked final /p/. You’ll want to avoid adding any extra vowel or a glottal stop within the word; keep the mouth ready for a crisp labial stop release. IPA reminder: /ɡruːp/.
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The word group comes from the Old French groupe, which itself derives from the Late Latin groppus meaning a mass or heap. The root sense was a collection or crowd of people, later extended to any collection or cluster of things. In Middle English, the spelling variant groupe appeared, but over time group became the standard form. The term gained a specialized sense in sociology and organizational contexts to denote a collection of individuals with a shared activity, goal, or relationship, such as a study group or performance group. The verb form group, meaning to arrange into categories, developed as a metaphorical extension of the noun, retaining the idea of bringing items into a coherent set. First known uses in English date back to the 16th-17th centuries in texts discussing social gatherings and complex classifications, with clear evolution into modern usage in both everyday speech and technical fields like statistics and management.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "group" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "group" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "group"
-oop sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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