2 syllables: head, long. Stress on head.
HED-lawng
/ˈhɛˌdlɔŋ/
headlong is pronounced HED-lawng (/ˈhɛˌdlɔŋ/). It has two syllables (head-long), with the stress on "head". Headlong means moving or acting with reckless haste and without careful thought. It can describe physical movement into something or figurative impulsivity in decision-making, often with a sense of forceful speed or rashness. The term emphasizes immediacy and potentially unconsidered action that can lead to consequences.
Headlong means moving or acting with reckless haste and without careful thought. It can describe physical movement into something or figurative impulsivity in decision-making, often with a sense of forceful speed or rashness. The term emphasizes immediacy and potentially unconsidered action that can lead to consequences.
- Common mistakes: • Underpronouncing the /d/ or blending it too softly into the /l/, producing a slurred /d l/ sequence. Focus on a crisp alveolar stop release. • Dropping the secondary stress or treating the word as a single trochaic unit; keep a light but audible secondary emphasis on the second syllable to preserve two-syllable rhythm. • Over-rounding the second vowel making it /lɒŋ/ into a more rounded diphthong; keep a single back vowel quality without extra vowel coloring.
"She rushed headlong into the project, neglecting the planning stage."
"The team charged headlong down the hill, lost in the thrill of the moment."
"Investors rushed headlong into the startup before the risks were fully understood."
Pronounce as two syllables: /ˈhɛd/ + /ˌlɒŋ/ in UK/AU or /ˈhɛd/ + /ˌlɔŋ/ in US. Primary stress on the first syllable: HE-dlong, with a light secondary stress on the second syllable. The /h/ is aspirated, the /ɛ/ is a short e as in ‘bed’, and the final /lɔŋ/ or /lɒŋ/ features a dark, velar nasal. Mouth position: start with an open front lax vowel, then lift the tongue to an /l/ onset, followed by a back, elongated vowel and a velar nasal. Audio reference: you can hear it pronounced as “HEAD-long” in Pronounce or Forvo.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress, saying headlong as HEAD-long or hed-LONG with equal stress; correct is primary stress on HEAD. 2) Slurring the /d/ into the /l/ making /hɛd lɔŋ/ without clear boundary; ensure a clear /d/ release before /l/. 3) Muddling the final /ɔŋ/ or /ɔŋ/ into a simple /oʊ/ or /oŋ/; keep the back vowel quality and nasal /ŋ/. Correction: enunciate /ˈhɛd/ and then a distinct /ˌlɔŋ/ or /ˌlɒŋ/ with the tongue contacting the alveolar ridge for /d/ and the alveolar or velar onset for /l/ before the nasal.
US: /ˈhɛdˌlɔŋ/ with a rhotic /r/-less or rhotic depending on speaker; back vowel in the second syllable tends toward /ɔː/ or /ɔ/ in some dialects. UK/AU: /ˈhɛdˌlɒŋ/ with shorter, more rounded /ɒ/ and non-rhoticity in many British accents. The /d/ remains alveolar, but linking and flapping are less common in careful speech. In some AU varieties, you may hear a slightly closer /ɔ:/ quality and more rounded lip rounding. Overall the key differences are the second-syllable vowel quality and rhoticity, with NP: rhotic vs non-rhotic pronunciation affecting after-syllable vowel length.
It challenges because of the clustering of consonants at the start and end of the word, plus the secondary stress pattern that’s not always intuitive. The /d/ must closely separate from the following /l/; many speakers reduce or blur this boundary. The /ɔŋ/ or /ɒŋ/ nasal-vowel combination requires careful back-vowel placement and velar nasal control. Additionally, the difference between US /ɔ/ and UK/AU /ɒ/ in the second syllable can confuse learners used to a single vowel sound. Focus on clear /d/ release, distinct /l/ onset, and maintaining the back nasal vowel.” ,
The word emphasizes the boundary between the alveolar stop /d/ and the lateral /l/, creating a brief, crisp /d/ + /l/ transition that can blur in rapid speech. The second syllable’s back vowel must retain height without triggering vowel reduction, and the final nasal /ŋ/ requires a high, back tongue posture. The primary stress is on HEAD, with secondary focus during the /lɔŋ/ sequence. Understanding this boundary helps you avoid smearing the /d/ into /l/ and maintain a clean, two-syllable rhythm.
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- US: Rhotic pronunciation may flatten the /r/ influence on following vowels in connected speech; ensure back vowel quality close to /ɔ/ in /lɔŋ/. AU/UK: Non-rhotic accents may reduce linking of r-influenced vowels; the second syllable vowel tends to be short and less tense. Vowel coverage: ensure /ɛ/ as in bed; emphasize the crisp /d/ release and stop consonant boundaries. IPA references: US /ˈhɛdˌlɔŋ/, UK/AU /ˈhɛdˌlɒŋ/.
Headlong is a compound of head + long, originally describing a person walking with the head leading the way, i.e., moving with the head pressed forward. The phrase appears in Middle English and Early Modern English texts to convey moving rapidly with one's head first, sometimes into danger. The sense evolved from physical forward motion to figurative usage, meaning acting with excessive haste or recklessness. In Shakespearean and later periods, phrases like “headlong into peril” appear, underscoring the idiom’s strong, urgent connotation. The word’s core imagery—head leading movement—has persisted, though modern usage often centers on rapid, imprudent actions. First known uses are attested in early dictionaries and literary works from the 14th to 16th centuries, with gradual standardization into a single adjective/adverb form in modern English. Despite its long history, the term remains vivid, compact, and frequently employed in both formal and informal registers to signal a lack of caution and a high-speed approach to a task or situation.
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Words that rhyme with "headlong"
-ong sounds
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