3 syllables: long, stand, ing. Stress on long.
LAWNG-stan-ding
/ˈlɔŋˌstændɪŋ/
longstanding is pronounced LAWNG-stan-ding (/ˈlɔŋˌstændɪŋ/). It has three syllables (long-stand-ing), with the stress on "long". Longstanding describes something that has continued for a long period of time or has existed since early history. It conveys durability and persistence, often implying deep-rootedness or established tradition. The term is commonly used in formal or analytical writing to qualify events, beliefs, or relationships with a lengthy duration.
Longstanding describes something that has continued for a long period of time or has existed since early history. It conveys durability and persistence, often implying deep-rootedness or established tradition. The term is commonly used in formal or analytical writing to qualify events, beliefs, or relationships with a lengthy duration.
- You might flatten the first syllable vowel so it sounds like /lɔn/ instead of /lɔː/; keep the open, rounded vowel. - The /ŋ/ followed by /st/ can blur; keep the nasal and /s/ separate, almost like saying 'long' then a crisp 'standing'. - The final '-ding' may blend with 'stan-'; ensure you vocalize /dɪŋ/ distinctly. Actionable: train with slow drills, then speed up while maintaining crisp /st/ and /dɪŋ/.
"The longstanding alliance between the two nations has weathered many crises."
"She has a longstanding commitment to environmental advocacy."
"The company cited its longstanding reputation for quality in its annual report."
Pronounce as ˈlɔːŋˌstæn.dɪŋ in US and UK; the first syllable carries primary stress, the third syllable receives secondary stress in many speakers. Start with /lɔː/ (or /lɒ/ in some UK dialects), then /ŋstæn/ as a cluster, and finish with /dɪŋ/. A helpful cue is to pause slightly between the ‘long’ and ‘standing’ parts to reflect the natural compound rhythm. You’ll hear a small vowel shift in connected speech when spoken quickly.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress by flattening to something like 'LONG-standing' or 'long-STAN-ding'; (2) Blending the ‚stl’ cluster into an easier sequence, producing 'longs-tanding' or 'longstan-ding' with weakened /st/; (3) Vowel laxity in /ɔː/ or /ɒ/ leading to /lɔn/ instead of /lɔː/. Correction: maintain primary stress on first syllable as /ˈlɔː/, keep the /stæn/ cluster crisp, and finalize with a clear /dɪŋ/. Practice spacing between 'long' and 'standing' to preserve compound rhythm.
In US English, /ˈlɔŋˌstæn.dɪŋ/ with rhotic /r/ unaffected; the vowel in /ɔ/ is back and open. UK speakers: /ˈlɒŋˌstændɪŋ/ with a shorter /ɒ/ and a flatter /æ/ in ‘standing’, and a non-rhotic r. Australian English: /ˈlɔːŋˌstændɪŋ/ often features a longer /ɔː/ and a clear /ɽ/ of the 'r' in some accents depending on rhoticity. Overall, vowel height and length shift slightly by region; consonant clusters /ŋst/ are retained in all. Accent variation is subtle but noticeable in vowel quality and final syllable timing.
The difficulty lies in the complex consonant cluster /ŋst/ following a long tense vowel /ɔː/ (US/UK) or /ɒ/ (some UK variants) and the rapid transition into /stæ n.dɪŋ/. People often misplace stress, reduce the /ɔː/ to /ɔ/ or /ɒ/, or fuse the syllables in fast speech, turning it into something like ‘long-standing’ with reduced clarity. Slow, deliberate practice with separate segments and then fluent linking helps stabilize the mj's rhythm and cluster.
The word combines a long vowel (ɔː) with a tense, dense initial syllable and a hard onset cluster in the second part. The sequence /ˈlɔŋˌstæn.dɪŋ/ requires precise articulation of the /ŋ/ and /st/ sequence, with the /d/ onset in the final syllable staying clear. It’s also a useful test of your ability to segment and then blend across a compound adjective, maintaining natural rhythm in formal discourse.
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Longstanding is formed from the compound adjective longstanding itself from the combination of long (from Old English long) and standing (from Old English standan, ‘to stand’). The sense emerged in Middle English as a description of things that have existed or persisted for a long time. By the early modern period, longstanding began to function as a attributive adjective meaning ‘existing for a long duration’ and later as a general attributive modifier before nouns, maintaining a formal register in academic and literary usage. The word reflects a straightforward metaphor: something that “stands” for a long time, enduring through the centuries. First attested forms appear in English texts from the late medieval to early modern period, with the modern compound structure becoming fixed by the 18th and 19th centuries as English increasingly favored compound adjectives to convey nuance of duration and heritage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "longstanding" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "longstanding"
-ing sounds
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