4 syllables: in, dus, tri, ous. Stress on dus.
in-DUHS-tree-uhs
/ˌɪˈndʌstɹiəs/
industrious is pronounced in-DUHS-tree-uhs (/ˌɪˈndʌstɹiəs/). It has four syllables (in-dus-tri-ous), with the stress on "dus". Industrious describes someone who is diligent, hardworking, and consistently productive. It emphasizes sustained effort and careful, practical labor rather than bursts of activity. The term often conveys admiration for a person’s steady work ethic and resourcefulness over time.
Industrious describes someone who is diligent, hardworking, and consistently productive. It emphasizes sustained effort and careful, practical labor rather than bursts of activity. The term often conveys admiration for a person’s steady work ethic and resourcefulness over time.
- You may transfer the stress to the second syllable, saying in-DUS-trious instead of in-de-STRI-ous. To fix, practice with a slow, three-beat rhythm: in / də / STRI / ous, tapping the beat on each segment. - The /str/ cluster can blur into a simple /s/ + /t/; keep the t reliably released as part of /str/. Drill /str/ with lingering /r/ and a firm tongue blade contact. - Final /-ous/ can become a heavy /əs/ or /əs/; aim for a light /əs/ with a soft, almost unstressed ending. - Vowel reduction in /də/ and /əs/ may flatten the word; practice with a small mouth aperture and relaxed jaw to maintain vowel clarity while preserving rhythm.
"She is an industrious student who spends long hours in the library."
"The team’s industrious planning paid off with a flawless execution."
"He’s known for his industrious approach, never shying away from a challenge."
Prime stress falls on the third syllable: in-de-STRI-ous. Phonemic: /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/ (US) and /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/ (UK/AU). Start with a light 'IN' /ˈɪn/ and gently relax the schwa in the second syllable /də/. The stressed /ˈstrɪ.əs/ begins with /str/ cluster, followed by a short /ɪ/ and a final /əs/ comprised of a light /ə/ plus /s/. For listening, hear the lilting secondary stress on the “TRI” cluster before the final syllable. Audio reference: Pronounce or Forvo entries can help you hear /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/.
Two frequent errors: (1) misplacing primary stress, saying /ˌɪn.dɪˈstrɪ.əs/ or /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/ with stress on the wrong syllable; (2) reducing /strɪ/ to a simpler /strɪ/ with weak vowel or dropping the /ɪ/ in the middle. Correction: keep the secondary /ə/ in the second syllable and emphasize /ˈstrɪ.əs/ after /də/. Practice with a slow pace, then speed up, ensuring the /ˈstr/ cluster remains clear and the final /əs/ is light, not a hard /əs/.
US pronunciation typically uses /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/ with a clear /ɪ/ in the stressed syllable and a slightly rhotic, smooth vowel in /də/. UK and AU share /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/, but you may hear crisper /ˈstrɪ/ with less vowel length in fast speech. AU tends toward slightly broader /ə/ in the second syllable and a more clipped final /əs/. In fast connected speech, non-rhotic accents may reduce the post-stressed vowel, making /strɪ.əs/ sound shorter. IPA references: US /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/; UK /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/; AU /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/.
The difficulty centers on the multi-syllabic stress pattern and the consonant cluster /str/ transitioning into a schwa-less /ɪ/ before the final /əs/. The syllable break after /də/ can tempt you to misplace stress on /də/ or mispronounce /strɪ/. Focus on maintaining a clear /str/ onset immediately after /də/ and ensure the final /əs/ is weak. Practicing with slow tempo, then increasing speed while keeping the /ɪ/ strong in the stressed syllable helps stabilize rhythm and prevents vowel reduction from erasing the /ɪ/.
Yes—the word’s three-syllable cadence with a heavy /str/ onset is unique among many ordinary adjectives. The primary stress sits on the third syllable, triggering an audible pause before the /strɪ.əs/ sequence. You’ll want to keep the /ɪ/ in /strɪ/ relatively crisp, not reduced to /ə/, especially in careful speech. This crisp onset helps distinguish industrious from similarly ending words like curious or ambitious, which do not present the same /str/ cluster immediately after a stressed syllable.
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- US: tend to have a clearly enunciated /də/ and a slightly rhotic vowel in the /ɒ/ portion when aligned with General American prosody; ensure the /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/ is bold on /ˈstrɪ/. - UK: often crisper /ˈstrɪ/ onset after /də/, with non-rhoticity influencing the final /ɪə/ or /əs/ realization; keep /ə/ light leading into /str/. - AU: similar to UK but with a tendency for slightly brighter vowels; maintain the /ɪ/ in /strɪ/ and finish with a light /əs/; remember AU vowels can be broader and more clipped in rapid speech. Use IPA as anchor: US /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/, UK /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/, AU /ˌɪn.dəˈstrɪ.əs/.
Industrious comes from Middle English industrious, from Latin industriosus, based on industria ‘diligence, activity, industry,’ from intendere ‘to direct toward a goal’ (in Portuguese: indústria). The root industria originally signified a habit or pursuit producing useful work and effort, then evolved to denote a system of productive labor. The word likely entered English via Old French and Latin intermediaries, aligning with related terms such as industry and industrious. The semantic shift centers on the quality of applying effort rather than mere involvement. Early attestations appear in the late medieval/early modern periods, with usage expanding in the 16th–18th centuries as English speakers began to valorize disciplined labor in moral and social discourse. Over time, industrious retained its positive connotation of persistent, thoughtful work, distinguishing it from mere activity. Modern usage emphasizes a commendable work ethic across professional and educational contexts, frequently paired with adjectives like “extremely” or “highly.”
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Words that rhyme with "industrious"
-ous sounds
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