3 syllables: Lon, gi, tude. Stress on Lon.
LAHN-juh-tood
/ˈlɑndʒəˌtud/
Longitude is pronounced LAHN-juh-tood (/ˈlɑndʒəˌtud/). It has three syllables (Lon-gi-tude), with the stress on "Lon". Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the Earth’s surface, measured in degrees from the Prime Meridian. It is contrasted with latitude, which measures north–south position. In science and navigation, longitude lines form a global grid used to locate places precisely. The term encompasses mathematical and cartographic contexts as well as daily geographic references.
nounLongitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the Earth’s surface, measured in degrees from the Prime Meridian. It is contrasted with latitude, which measures north–south position. In science and navigation, longitude lines form a global grid used to locate places precisely. The term encompasses mathematical and cartographic contexts as well as daily geographic references.
"Her GPS app shows her longitude and latitude to guide her to the trailhead."
"Scientists tracked changes in longitude to model the movement of tectonic plates."
"The explorer corrected his course to align with the new longitude after a storm."
Longitude is pronounced as /ˈlɒn.dʒɪ.tjuːd/ in US English and /ˈlɒn.dʒɪ.tjuːd/ in UK/AU variants. Stress lies on the first syllable: LON-juh-tyood. Start with the /l/ + /ɒ/ vowel, then /n/ and /dʒ/ for the “j” sound, then /ɪ/ as in kit, then /tjuːd/ where /t/ blends into /j/ plus a long /uː/ followed by /d/. Mouth position: lips relaxed, tongue high mid for /ɒ/ and /ɪ/, and the jaw opens slightly for the /dʒ/ cluster. Audio references: Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries online provide playback. IPA for clarity: US/UK/AU: /ˈlɒn.dʒɪˌtuːd/ or /ˈlɔn.dʒɪˌtjuːd/ depending on transcription system.
Common errors include misplacing the /dʒ/ as a simple /j/ (say lon-juh-tude instead of lon-juh-tyood) and flattening the /ɪtjuːd/ into a dull /tuːd/. A second frequent issue is reducing the /ɒ/ in the first syllable to a schwa, producing lon-ə-juh-tyood. To correct: keep the /ɒ/ as in cot, then form /n/ + /dʒ/ together, and finish with /tjuːd/ by sliding from /t/ to /j/ to a long /uː/ before /d/. Slow, deliberate practice with minimal pairs helps reinforce the /dʒ/ and /tjuː/ cluster.
In US English, you’ll typically hear /ˈlɒn.dʒɪˌtuːd/ with a flat /ɒ/ and a clear /dʒ/; in some UK varieties, /ɒ/ may rise slightly toward /ɔː/ and the /tjuː/ can be realized as /tjuː/ or /tʃuː/ in rapid speech, while AU tends to align with UK but may be slightly flatter and less rhotic in casual speech. Across accents, the main points are the initial stressed syllable /ˈlɒn/ and the consonant cluster /dʒ/ followed by /tjuːd/. Listening to native speakers via Pronounce, Forvo, or YouGlish will reveal local timing and vowel adjustments.
The difficulty centers on the /dʒɪ/ portion and the /tjuːd/ cluster, where the /t/ blends into /j/ to form /tjuː/ rather than a clean /tj/ sequence. The initial /l/ plus /ɒ/ can be mispronounced with a lax vowel, and the unstressed /ɪ/ can be shrugged off in fluent speech. Practice attaching the /dʒ/ to the preceding /n/ quickly, then glide into /tjuːd/ with a light /t/ and a precise /j/ release before the long /uː/.
A practical, search-oriented angle is the precise /ɡh/ effect in the sequence - there is no silent letter in this word, but many learners overfocus on the /dʒ/ and ignore the compact vowel timing in /ɒn.dʒɪ/. The unique question users ask is often about the /ɒn/ vs. /ɔn/ variation, and how to land the /tjuːd/ without blur. The answer: keep /ɒ/ distinct from /n/, deliver the /dʒ/ with immediate release into /ɪ/, then form /tjuːd/ as a clean, rounded /uː/ before /d/.
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Longitude comes from the combination of long- (from Latin longus, meaning 'long') and -itude, a suffix used in archaic forms to indicate a state or condition. The term first entered English in the 15th–16th centuries as European navigation and cartography matured, when mariners and scholars needed to describe east–west position with precision. The concept parallels latitude, with early explorers mapping the globe relative to the Prime Meridian and the equator. The modern sense of longitude as a geographic coordinate was solidified with the adoption of standardized meridians and the development of global positioning and map projections. The word’s evolution tracks the expansion of nautical science, the Age of Exploration, and the subsequent formalization of geodesy and cartography, where longitude values in degrees became a fundamental component of coordinates, navigation charts, and GIS databases.
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Words that rhyme with "Longitude"
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