3 syllables: Jo, nath, an Toews. Stress on Jo.
JAH-nuh-thuhn tohz
/ˈdʒɑː.nə.θən toʊz/
Jonathan Toews is pronounced JAH-nuh-thuhn tohz (/ˈdʒɑː.nə.θən toʊz/). It has three syllables (Jo-nath-an Toews), with the stress on "Jo". Jonathan Toews is a Canadian hockey player known for serving as captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. In pronunciation terms, his name is a two-part proper noun with English phonology influenced by French-Canadian spelling. The first name is commonly pronounced JOH-nuh-thun, while the surname is pronounced toez with a voiceless s, yielding a smooth, two-syllable surname that rhymes with 'toes'.
proper nounJonathan Toews is a Canadian hockey player known for serving as captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. In pronunciation terms, his name is a two-part proper noun with English phonology influenced by French-Canadian spelling. The first name is commonly pronounced JOH-nuh-thun, while the surname is pronounced toez with a voiceless s, yielding a smooth, two-syllable surname that rhymes with 'toes'.
How to Pronounce Jonathan Toews
"Jonathan Toews wore the captain’s C during his peak seasons."
"Fans often mispronounce his name; practice the two-part flow to say it confidently."
"The commentator introduced Jonathan Toews with clear enunciation during the playoffs."
- IPA: US ˈdʒɒn.ə.ˌθən ˈtoʊz; UK/US share the two-part rhythm, with TOES as 'tohz'. - Start with a stressed first syllable on Jonathan: JOH-nuh-thən with secondary stress on the third syllable of the middle cluster. - Toe-satch: keep the final 's' soft, not a hiss; jaw stays relaxed. - Audio reference: try a clip from official highlights or pronunciation videos linked to Pronounce; mimic the cadence and mouth shapes. - Focus on: dʒ sound at the start of Jonathan, the unstressed schwa and weak -ən ending, then 'Toews' with a pure long /oʊ/ followed by a crisp /z/.
- Common errors: flattening the stress to a single syllable in Jonathan (say JOH-nuh-thən rather than JON-uh-thən with a light secondary stress); pronouncing Toews as 'to-ays' or 'to-ehs' instead of /toʊz/. - Corrections: keep Jonathan with correct rhythm (two light syllables after the first stressed syllable) and ensure the 's' in Toews is voiced /z/ after a vowel; practice with minimal pairs like 'toes' vs 'toes-uh' to feel the boundary. - Practice tip: say 'Jon-uh-thun To-ays' slowly, then speed up to natural broadcast cadence.
- US: strong /æ/ vs /ɑ/ in the first syllable can vary; the TOEZ part uses /oʊ/ and a clear /z/. - UK/US: UK often retains a slightly tighter vowel for /ɒ/ in the first vowel cluster, but still uses /ˈtɒn.ə.θən/ style for Jonathan and /ˈtoʊz/ for Toews in most coverage. - AU: similar to US, but may show more vowel rounding on /oʊ/. Overall, the surname remains rhotic in US and non-rhotic in some UK contexts, but Toews in hockey media is typically rhoticized as /toʊz/.
- Challenges include the 'dʒ' onset in Jonathan, the three-syllable rhythm with a weak middle vowel, and the diphthong in 'Toews' (/toʊz/), which can blur into 'toes' or 'to-es' if not precise. - A common pitfall is misplacing stress among Jonathan’s three syllables and mispronouncing the surname as 'Toe-ess' or 'To-ays'. - If you articulate with controlled lip rounding for /oʊ/ and a crisp /z/ after the vowel, you’ll sound closer to native hockey commentators.
- The name splits into a two-part proper noun with an English pronunciation that masks potential French-Canadian influences in spelling. - Learners often expect a silent letter or a different vowel in 'Toews', but in practice the surname is a straightforward /toʊz/. - Paying attention to the two-part cadence helps you reproduce broadcast-style enunciation accurately and avoids blending the surname into 'toes' without the final /z/.
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Jonathan is a given name of Hebrew origin, meaning 'God has given' and entered English via Old French and Latin forms; it is widely used in English-speaking regions. Toews is a surname of likely Germanic or Dutch origin, associated with the Chicago Blackhawks captain; spelling reflects a Dutch- or German-influenced phonology. The surname’s pronunciation in North American English tends to be a shortened, anglicized version of more phonologized Germanic spellings. The first known uses of Jonathan as a given name in English date from the early medieval period, with popularization in Christian contexts through biblical and liturgical use. The surname Toews (often spelled T-o-e-w-s) became prominent in North America in the 20th century due to immigration patterns from Central Europe and German-speaking regions; its modern pronunciation is shaped by English phonology, with a final s sounding like a soft /z/ or /s/ depending on surrounding vowels and the speaker’s dialect. Over time, the two-word name Jonathan Toews has become a familiar marker of a specific hockey figure, with pronunciation stable in mainstream media but subject to regional accent variation.
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Words that rhyme with "Jonathan Toews"
-oes sounds
-ows sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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