4 syllables: Ig, nor, a, mus. Stress on a.
ig-nur-AY-muhs
/ˌɪɡnɚˈeɪməs/
Ignoramus is pronounced ig-nur-AY-muhs (/ˌɪɡnɚˈeɪməs/). It has four syllables (Ig-nor-a-mus), with the stress on "a". Ignoramus is a noun used to describe a person who is ignorant or holds ignorant opinions; it often carries a scornful or humorous tone. The term has a formal, somewhat antiquated feel and is commonly encountered in academic or satirical writing. It conveys a judgment about a person’s knowledge or reasoning, typically implying willful ignorance.
nounIgnoramus is a noun used to describe a person who is ignorant or holds ignorant opinions; it often carries a scornful or humorous tone. The term has a formal, somewhat antiquated feel and is commonly encountered in academic or satirical writing. It conveys a judgment about a person’s knowledge or reasoning, typically implying willful ignorance.
"The committee dismissed the proposal, calling the proposer an ignoramus for missing key data."
"Don’t be an ignoramus—read the instructions before you start."
"He looked up from his notebook and muttered, you ignoramus, as if insult could be cured by schooling."
Most native speakers place primary stress on the second syllable: ig-NOR-a-mus. IPA (US/UK): ɪgˈnɒr.ə.məs. Break it as four syllables: ig - NOR - a - mus. Start with a short, clipped first syllable, then an even, stressed second, finish with a light -a- and a soft -mus. Listen for the quick, light ending syllable to avoid over-enunciating -mus. Audio reference: check standard dictionaries or Pronounce resources for native speaker samples.
Common errors: (1) Stressing the first syllable ig rather than NOR. (2) Slurring or dropping the middle 'nor' sound, producing ig-ner-a-mus or ig-nor-amus. (3) Pronouncing 'mus' as a heavy, closed syllable rather than a light, neutral '-mus' like 'məs'. Correction: emphasize NOR with a clear hocketed vowel before and after; keep -a- short and avoid vowel reduction in connected speech; end with a quick, soft -məs rather than full 'mus'.
US tends toward /ɪgˈnɒr.ə.məs/ with a rhotic 'r' and a shorter, more clipped 'ɒ' in the second syllable. UK typically /ɪgˈnɔː.rə.məs/ with a longer, rounded vowel in the second syllable and non-rhoticity may be less pronounced in careful speech. Australian often nods to /ˌɪg.nəˈræ.məs/ or /ˌɪg.nəˈrɔː.məs/ depending on speaker, with a lighter second syllable and less rhotic emphasis. In all, the second syllable receives primary stress, but vowel quality shifts subtly by region.
Two main challenges: the multi-syllabic structure and the mid-vowel quality in the NOR syllable. The 'NOR' component requires a crisp, stressed vowel without drifting into a schwa. The final -mus can feel tricky because it’s weakly articulated; a common error is pronouncing it as 'mus' with a full vowel rather than 'məs'. Practice with minimal pairs to isolate NOR and -mus; use clear mouth positioning: mid-back tongue for NOR, relaxed lips for -ə- and -məs.
A distinctive four-syllable rhythm with primary stress on the second syllable and a light, reduced final syllable. The mouth shapes shift: a relatively closed vowel in 'ig' and a rounded, tense vowel in 'NOR', followed by a quick, schwa-like '-ə-' and a final short '-məs'. The tension and relaxation across syllables create a characteristic cadence essential to sounding natural.
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Ignoramus comes from Latin ignoramus, a first-person plural present active indicative of the verb ignorare, meaning to be unaware or to neglect. The Latin root 'ignor-' stems from ig-nor-, related to not knowing, with the suffix -amus signaling the subject as a group performing the action. The term entered English scholarly usage in the 17th–18th centuries, often appearing in legal and academic contexts to label someone as lacking knowledge or awareness. Over time, it acquired a mildly pejorative register, particularly in witty or satirical prose. While its exact first use in English is not precisely dated, written examples from the 1700s show it used in intellectual circles to describe individuals perceived as willfully uninformed. In modern usage, ignoranus is sometimes humorously conflated with ignorance or used as a light insult in informal settings, though its historical weight remains tied to a formal label of ignorance within educated discourse.
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Words that rhyme with "Ignoramus"
-ous sounds
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