3 syllables: hes, i, tant. Stress on hes.
HEZ-it-uhnt
/ˈhɛzɪtənt/
hesitant is pronounced HEZ-it-uhnt (/ˈhɛzɪtənt/). It has three syllables (hes-i-tant), with the stress on "hes". Hesitant describes a person or action showing uncertainty or reluctance to proceed. It denotes a momentary pause or doubt before deciding or speaking, often accompanied by careful consideration. The term implies caution and deliberation rather than firm commitment or confidence.
Hesitant describes a person or action showing uncertainty or reluctance to proceed. It denotes a momentary pause or doubt before deciding or speaking, often accompanied by careful consideration. The term implies caution and deliberation rather than firm commitment or confidence.
"She felt hesitant about investing in the startup until she reviewed the numbers."
"The interviewer paused, hesitant to reveal the sensitive information."
"His hesitant smile suggested he wasn’t sure of the right remark to make."
HEZ-ə-tənt with primary stress on the first syllable. In IPA US/UK/AU: /ˈhɛzɪtənt/. The mouth begins with a mid-front vowel in the first syllable, followed by a voiced alveolar z, a reduced schwa in the second syllable, and a final /t/? with a light release. Keep the vowels crisp and the /z/ voiced without voicing bleed into the following schwa.
Common errors include over-weakening the first vowel, turning /ˈhɛzɪtənt/ into /ˈheɪzɪtənt/ or misplacing stress on the second syllable, and pronouncing the final -ant as an /-ænt/ diphthong instead of a short /-ənt/ with a light t release. To correct: keep the first vowel as /ɛ/, ensure clear /z/ before the schwa, and release the final /t/ without an extra vowel.
US/UK/AU share /ˈhɛzɪtənt/, but non-rhotic accents in parts of the UK may reduce linking between syllables, and vowel quality can drift toward /eɪ/ in some rapid speech. Australian speakers often maintain a more centralized or vowel-reduced middle syllable; emphasis remains on the first syllable. Overall form remains unstressed on later syllables; the main difference is subtle vowel quality and place of articulation.
Key challenges: (1) maintaining the /ɛ/ vowel quality in the first syllable with a clear /z/ transition to /ɪ/; (2) ensuring the middle schwa /ə/ is reduced but not elided, producing a natural tempo; (3) releasing the final /t/ crisply without adding a syllable. These require precise tongue position and breath control to keep the word compact and intelligible.
Focus on the sequence /ˈhɛzɪtənt/ with a short, tight first vowel and a quick, unstressed middle syllable. Visualize a single, smooth flow from /ˈhɛ/ through /zɪ/ to /tənt/. Avoid turning the second syllable into /hɛˈzɪtənt/ or lengthening the middle vowel. Practicing with minimal pairs that contrast tense vs. lax vowels helps solidify the rhythm.
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Hesitant comes from the Latin hesitare, meaning to hesitate or to pause, which itself derives from the Proto-Italic *hesitare, ultimately from the PIE root *kes- meaning to pause or hesitate. The form with -ant entered Middle French as hésitant, then into English, reflecting the common shift from Latin-based adjectives ending in -ant to English -ant adjectives. The word retained its core sense of pausing before acting, often with an undertone of doubt or caution. In early modern English, hesitance was used to describe both physical pausing and mental doubt; by the 18th century, hesitant as an adjective described people or actions characterized by hesitation. Over time, usage broadened to describe hesitant stances, expressions, or movements, not just periods of pause but also tentative attitudes in speech and decision-making. Today, hesitant typically collocates with verbs of action (become, feel, seem) and adjectives of certainty (slightly, somewhat), and is frequently used in analytical, medical, or evaluative contexts to indicate lack of assurance or speed. First known use in English dates to the 15th-16th centuries, evolving from French and Latin roots through common legal and scholarly discourse to everyday usage.
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Words that rhyme with "hesitant"
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