2 syllables: Hus, band. Stress on Hus.
HUHZ-buhnd
/ˈhʌzbənd/
Husband is pronounced HUHZ-buhnd (/ˈhʌzbənd/). It has two syllables (Hus-band), with the stress on "Hus". Husband is a noun meaning a married man or a male partner in a marriage. It also appears in figurative phrases such as “husband of the house” or “husband a resource,” but in modern usage it primarily denotes a male spouse. The term encompasses social, legal, and relational roles within a marriage, and its pronunciation is a frequent focus for learners due to its initial heartland sounds and a final “-band” cluster.
nounHusband is a noun meaning a married man or a male partner in a marriage. It also appears in figurative phrases such as “husband of the house” or “husband a resource,” but in modern usage it primarily denotes a male spouse. The term encompasses social, legal, and relational roles within a marriage, and its pronunciation is a frequent focus for learners due to its initial heartland sounds and a final “-band” cluster.
"My husband and I are planning a weekend getaway."
"The husband of the novelist attended the book launch."
"In many cultures, a husband’s role is traditionally associated with protection and support."
US: /ˈhəzˌbənd/ or /ˈhʌz.bənd/ depending on rhythm. UK: /ˈhʌz.bənd/. AU: /ˈhɒz.bənd/ or /ˈhɒzˌbənd/. The first syllable carries primary stress; the second is weakly stressed, and the final syllable has a light /də/ or /dən/ realization. Mouth: start with a short, neutral vowel in the first syllable, then a clear /z/ or /s/ to /b/ transition, and finish with /ənd/. Practice by isolating the /z/ or /ʒ/ voice onset and keeping the /b/ soft before /nd/.
Two frequent errors: (1) over-voicing the first syllable so it sounds like /ˈhuz.bənd/ instead of /ˈhə.zə/ or /ˈhəzˌbənd/. (2) Dropping the final /d/ or mispronouncing /nd/ as a simple /n/. Correction: keep a short schwa in the first syllable (or a weak /ʌ/), voice the /z/ softly into /b/, and close with a crisp but not heavy /d/ in /nd/. Practice minimal pairs: husband vs. husbent (informal mispronunciation) helps stabilize the final consonant cluster.
US tends to reduce the first syllable to a schwa plus a light /z/ sound, yielding /ˈhə.zənd/ with possible /bz/ liaison in rapid speech. UK typically keeps a tighter /ˈhʌz.bənd/ with clear /z/ and a stronger /d/ at the end in careful speech. AU mirrors UK but can be even more vowel-reduced in casual speech: /ˈhɒz.bənd/. Note rhoticity is less relevant here since the word isn’t rhotic; the vowel quality drives most variation.
Three core challenges: (1) balancing the initial /h/ and /h/ with an unstressed vowel in the first syllable, which creates a subtle schwa. (2) The medial /z/ often blends into the /b/ making the transition tight; learners sometimes voice the /d/ too strongly. (3) Final /nd/ cluster requires a crisp release; failure to release can result in /n/ or /d/ only. Tip: practice slow, exaggerated enunciation of each consonant, then blend back to natural speed while maintaining the rhythm of the two primary syllables.
A distinctive two-phoneme onset in the first syllable: the /h/ followed by a weak vowel and a /z/ sound as the nucleus of the first syllable in many accents. The second syllable begins with /b/ and ends with the smooth /ənd/; the linking between /z/ and /b/ is a common source of misproduction. Emphasize the /z/ as a voiced fricative that lightly touches the following /b/ to avoid a strong /z/ or /s/ substitution.
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The word husband comes from Old English hundsbeorn(e) or hundbonda, historically referring to a male head of a household or master of a household’s land and resources. The Proto-Germanic root *hundam- (household) evolved to mean 'home’ or 'family head', with the suffix -bonda or -beorn representing a man who holds or cultivates, i.e., a landholder or master. In Middle English, husband shifted in usage from “household manager” to the more specific modern sense of a male spouse. By the 12th and 13th centuries, legal and social texts used husband to denote the male partner in marriage, with connotations of duty, protection, and provision. Over time, the word retained its domestic leadership sense in some dialects while gradually becoming a general term for a married man in contemporary English. First known written uses appear in religious and legal writings from the late medieval period, with later literature consolidating its modern sense in the 16th–18th centuries. The evolution reflects changing gender roles and household structures, but the core idea—‘a male head of a household or married man’—remains central in modern English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Husband" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Husband" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Husband"
-and sounds
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