4 syllables: I, co, ni, um. Stress on co.
eye-KOH-nee-uhm
/aɪˈkoʊniəm/
Iconium is pronounced eye-KOH-nee-uhm (/aɪˈkoʊniəm/). It has four syllables (I-co-ni-um), with the stress on "co". Iconium is a proper noun referring to an ancient city in Lycaonia (modern Konya province, Turkey). In general usage, it appears in historical, biblical, and classical contexts and is pronounced with three syllables. The name carries a classical, scholarly tone and is often encountered in academic or religious writings mentioning early Christian communities or Greco-Roman geography.
nounIconium is a proper noun referring to an ancient city in Lycaonia (modern Konya province, Turkey). In general usage, it appears in historical, biblical, and classical contexts and is pronounced with three syllables. The name carries a classical, scholarly tone and is often encountered in academic or religious writings mentioning early Christian communities or Greco-Roman geography.
How to Pronounce Iconium
"The missionaries traveled from Iconium to establish early churches."
"Ancient Iconium is referenced in several early Christian texts."
"Scholars debated the founding myths of Iconium and its role in late antiquity."
You say it as ai-KOH-nee-əm (US/UK/AU share stress on the second syllable). IPA: US uk au: /ˌaɪˈkoʊniəm/. Break it: ai (long I) + KO (stressed) + ni (nee) + um (əm). Place your tongue for the middle syllable to emphasize the 'ko' sound, and finish with a relaxed 'əm'. Listen to classical readings for a similar cadence.
Common errors: 1) Stress shifting, saying i-KO-nee-um or i-ko-NEE-um. 2) Vowel quality on the first syllable (ai) conflated with a short a. 3) Final 'um' pronounced as 'um' with a strong syllable; instead it’s a light schwa plus m. Correction: maintain primary stress on the second syllable KO, keep the final syllable as əm, and keep the first vowel as a long ai. Practice with slow tempo and tap the syllable rhythm to lock the pattern.
US: /ˌaɪˈkoʊniəm/ with rhotics; UK: /ˌaɪˈkəʊniəm/ with more back rounded 'o' and non-rhoticity in some speakers; AU: /ˌaɪˈkɒniəm/ with broader Australian vowel quality. Across accents, the middle vowel shifts: US tends toward 'oʊ', UK toward 'əʊ', AU toward 'ɒ' or 'ɒ'. The final syllable remains a muted schwa plus m; watch for length and vowel quality differences in middle vowels, which can affect perceived syllable tension.
It blends a stressed non-initial syllable with an unstressed final syllable, making the second syllable relatively prominent: i-KOH-ni-əm. The middle 'ko' or 'kəʊ' requires precise tongue height and lip rounding, which is easy to misplace if you’re thinking of similar words like 'Ionian' or 'Iconic'. Also, the final schwa + m is quick and light; you must avoid drawing out the last syllable. Practice with a slow tempo, then speed up while maintaining the mid-stress.
Attention to the central syllable’s quality is critical; emphasize the /ko/ or /kəʊ/ while keeping the first syllable with a long /aɪ/. The three-syllable rhythm should feel like ai-KOH-nee-um in natural speech. Note that some transcriptions use Ikonion or Ikoníos in Greek sources; however, in English texts the common form Iconium is used, so keep the /ˈko/ nucleus prominent.
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Iconium derives from ancient Greek:-Ἰκόνιον (Ikonion). The city’s name appears in Hellenistic and Roman sources, often spelled Ikonion or Iconium in Latin texts. The root may be connected to a mythic figure or to Phoenician or Anatolian toponyms carried through Greek transcription. In classical geography, Ikonion is consistently used by writers such as Strabo and Ptolemy to denote the city in Lycaonia, reflecting Hellenistic and Roman influence in nomenclature. Over time, Ikonion appeared in various forms as Turkish, Latin, and modern transliterations evolved. The Christian era preserved the name in Epistles and Acts as Iconium, while medieval Latin manuscripts maintained Ikonion or Iconium. In modern scholarship, the Turkish city independently known as Konya corresponds to the ancient Iconium’s location, illustrating the continuity of geography across civilizations and languages through empire, language shift, and transliteration conventions.
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Words that rhyme with "Iconium"
-ion sounds
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