2 syllables: lone, some. Stress on lone.
LOHN-suhm
/ˈloʊnsəm/
lonesome is pronounced LOHN-suhm (/ˈloʊnsəm/). It has two syllables (lone-some), with the stress on "lone". Lonesome describes a person who feels sadly alone or solitary, often implying a reflective or melancholy mood. It can also describe a place that feels desolate or lonely. The term combines a sense of isolation with emotional weight, used in literary and everyday contexts to convey yearning or quiet solitude.
Lonesome describes a person who feels sadly alone or solitary, often implying a reflective or melancholy mood. It can also describe a place that feels desolate or lonely. The term combines a sense of isolation with emotional weight, used in literary and everyday contexts to convey yearning or quiet solitude.
- Mistaking the vowel in the second syllable: many speakers treat /soʊm/ as /som/ or /səʊm/; ensure a full /oʊ/ diphthong. - Dropping the consonant cluster at the end: keep a clear /m/ without nasalized vowel before it. - Over-slurping between syllables in fast speech, causing the first syllable to lose its length. Correction tips: practice isolating LOHN (with /oʊ/), then practice SOHM (with /oʊ/), then blend with slow ritmo, finally natural speed.
"She felt lonesome after moving to a new city without friends."
"The empty cabin stood lonesome on the edge of the forest."
"His poems often tread a lonesome path, full of quiet longing."
You say /ˈloʊnˌsoʊm/. The primary stress falls on the first syllable: LOHN. The second syllable is a quick, lighter 'sohm' with a long o sound. Your mouth starts with a closed to mid-back vowel for the first vowel and ends with a long, rounded o in the second syllable. Imagine saying ‘lone’ and then attaching ‘some’ with a light, quick 'sohm'.
Two frequent slips: (1) Reducing the second syllable too much, saying something like LOHN-sum with a short, lax vowel. (2) Flattening the second long o into a short 'o' as in 'som' instead of the true /soʊm/. Correction: emphasize the second syllable with a clear /oʊ/ diphthong and maintain a brief, light rhythm on the -sume part. Practice by isolating LOHN and SOHM, then blend with a gentle slope between the vowels.
US: primary stress on LOHN, /ˈloʊnˌsoʊm/, with rhotic r-less trailing sound; UK: a slightly shorter first vowel and more clipped second syllable, /ˈləʊnˌsem/ or /ˈləʊnz(ə)m/, non-rhotic; AU: tends toward /ˈləʊnzəm/ with broader, flatter vowels and less distinct /s/ preceding m. In all, the key is a clear /ˈloʊn/ onset and a long /oʊ/ in the second syllable, but vowel qualities shift slightly by region.
The challenge lies in balancing the long o in the first syllable with the second syllable’s long o, while maintaining a light, quick -som(e) ending. The diphthong in the first syllable /oʊ/ requires controlled gliding from /o/ to /ʊ/ in connected speech; the second /soʊm/ demands crisp /s/ and avoiding a swallowed ending. Also, regional vowel shifts can blur the distinction between /oʊ/ in each syllable.
The second syllable contains a tertiary lightness; many speakers reduce it in casual speech. Focus on slight syllable timing: LOHN- + softly energized SOHM. The strong peaking onset of the first syllable helps anchor rhythm, while the trailing /m/ should close the word with minimal lip-open movement. Ensure the /s/ is clearly enunciated before the final /m/ for a crisp ending.
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- US: rhotic, clear /r/ influences surrounding vowels minimally in this word; keep /loʊn/ intact; /soʊm/ has a pronounced long o. - UK: non-rhotic; the first vowel may be slightly shorter, more centralized; the second syllable often crisps the /e/ or /ɛ/ depending on speaker. - AU: broader vowels, less diphthongal change; maintain /oʊ/ quality but with a flatter glide. IPA references: US /ˈloʊnˌsoʊm/, UK /ˈləʊnˌsem/ or /ˈləʊnz(ə)m/, AU /ˈləʊnzəm/.
Lonesome originates from the phrase lone some, dating to late Middle English. The root word lone comes from Old English lun, meaning ‘solitary, single’, related to Old High German lonein and Dutch eenzaam. The suffix -some is from Old English -sume, meaning ‘characterized by’. By the 16th century, lonesome appeared in English literature to describe persons or places marked by isolation, combining the idea of being alone with a sense of emotional weight. Over time, lonesome retained connotations of melancholy rather than mere physical solitude, often used poetically. In modern usage, lonesome can describe a mood, a season, or a setting—anything that evokes solitude with an emotional undertone rather than physical remoteness alone. The word remains common in American English and is frequently found in songs, poetry, and narrative prose, signaling introspection, nostalgia, or a quiet ache of loneliness.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "lonesome" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "lonesome"
-ome sounds
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