Hardship refers to severe difficulties or suffering, especially those related to poverty, danger, or deprivation. It describes conditions that test endurance, resilience, and resourcefulness, often involving lack of basic needs or opportunities. The term emphasizes sustained adversity rather than a single obstacle, highlighting the hardship that individuals or communities endure over time.
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- You may drop or blur the /ʃ/ sound, saying /ˈhɑrdɪp/ instead of /ˈhɑrdˌʃɪp/. Tip: practice the transition from /d/ to /ʃ/ with a quick, light touch of the tongue to avoid a gap. - Confusing the first syllable’s vowel as /æ/ (as in 'hat') instead of a longer /ɑː/. Tip: hold the mouth in an open, relaxed position with the tongue low and back for /ɑː/. - Failing to articulate the /r/ in rhotic accents or inserting an unnecessary extra vowel between /r/ and /ʃ/. Tip: say /ɑːrd/ with a crisp /r/ before /ʃ/, then release into /ɪp/.
- US: emphasize rhotic /r/ and longer /ɑːr/; keep /ˈhɑɹdˌʃɪp/ with a clear r-color; - UK: non-rhotic or weak /r/, so /ˈhɑːdˌʃɪp/ without a pronounced /r/; vowel quality a back open /ɑː/; - AU: rhotic with a more centralized or back /ɑː/; keep /ˈhɑːdˌʃɪp/ and ensure the /d/ is not palatalized; IPA references: /ˈhɑːdˌʃɪp/ US, /ˈhɑːdˌʃɪp/ UK, /ˈhɑːdˌʃɪp/ AU.
"The drought created economic hardship for farmers."
"During the war, families faced extreme hardship and displacement."
"She endured great financial hardship after losing her job."
"The community came together to support neighbors in hardship."
Hardship originates from the Middle English word har(den) or hardish, a blend of hard + -ship, borrowed from Old English heard (hard, severe) with the suffix -ship denoting a state or condition. The sense evolved from describing something physically hard or severe to a metaphorical state of being in difficulty or distress. By the 14th century, hardship was used to depict harsh conditions affecting livelihood and survival, particularly in agrarian and wartime contexts. Over time, the term broadened to encompass emotional and social strain, including poverty, illness, and displacement. In modern usage, hardship retains a clear connotation of sustained, challenging circumstances that require endurance and resilience. First known uses appear in legal and domestic contexts, later expanding to economic and social hardship as industrialization and global travel increased the scope of shared human adversity. The word has remained stable in form, with the -ship suffix continuing to signal a state or condition rather than a physical object, reinforcing its abstract application to human experience.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "hardship" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "hardship" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "hardship" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "hardship"
-hip sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Say HARD-ship, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /ˈhɑːrdˌʃɪp/ or /ˈhɑrdˌʃɪp/ depending on dialect. Start with an open back vowel in the first syllable, then a clear /ʃ/ for the second, ending with a light /-ɪp/. You’ll feel your tongue bunched toward the back for the first vowel and rounded lips slightly for the final 'p' release. Audio reference: general pronunciation guides or dictionaries provide native-speaker examples.
Common mistakes: confusing the first syllable vowel with a short /æ/ as in 'hat'; adding extra syllables like ‘hard-ship-uh’; misplacing the /r/ in non-rhotic accents. Corrections: keep the first syllable as /ˈhɑːrd/ (American /ɑːr/ or British /ɑː/ + /r/ in rhotic varieties), avoid an extra vowel after the /d/, and produce a clean /ʃ/ before /ɪp/. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on the /ɑːr/ vs /æ/ distinction, then a quick /ʃ/ release into /ɪp/.
US: rhotic /r/ is pronounced; first syllable often /ˈhɑːrd/ with a longer /ɑː/. UK: non-rhotic tendencies may reduce the /r/; some speakers use /ˈhɑːdˌʃɪp/ without the rhotic; vowel quality in /ɑː/ may be shorter. AU: generally rhotic with rounded, drawn-out /ɑː/ and clear /r/ in careful speech; some Australian speakers may flatten the vowel slightly. Overall, the core /h/ + /ɑː/ + /rd/ + /ʃɪp/ structure remains, but rhoticity and vowel length vary.
Two main challenges: first, the /ɑːr/ vs /ɑː/ vowel length and rhoticity in US English; speakers often mispronounce it as /ˈhɑrd-ɪp/ by dropping the /ʃ/ or misplacing the /r/ after the vowel. Second, the cluster /rdʃ/ requires a quick transition from /d/ to /ʃ/ with a light /p/ release. Focus on a smooth glide from /r/ into /ʃ/ and a crisp final /p/ for accuracy.
The key unique feature is the /rdʃ/ cluster at the end of the first stressed syllable transitioning into /ɪp/. The /rd/ and /ʃ/ must be distinct yet connected, making the sequence susceptible to elision if not practiced. Emphasize articulatory timing to keep /d/ from swallowing the /ʃ/. This makes hardship notably different from similar words like hardship’s close relatives in rhythm.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "hardship"!
- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker say hardship slowly, then twice at normal speed, focus on the /rdʃ/ transition. - Minimal pairs: compare /ˈhɑːrd/ vs /ˈhɑːd/; practice with words like hard and herd; - Rhythm: place deliberate stress on the first syllable; practice phrase-level rhythm with: ‘a great hardship’ / ‘the hardship fund.’ - Intonation: practice a rising tone at the end of phrases containing hardship to reflect discourse context. - Stress practice: practice the primary stress on the first syllable, secondary stress on the /ʃɪp/ if phrase emphasizes contrast. - Recording: record yourself saying hardship in isolation and in sentences; compare with a native speaker.
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