Meteorology

Pronounce as /ˌmiːtiəˈrɒl.ə.dʒi/ in US/UK/AU with primary stress on the -rol- syllable. Break it into me-tee-AR-ol-o-ji, but keep the /ˌmiː/ and /ə/ reductions smooth. Focus on the -ology ending as /-ɒdʒi/ or /-ɒl.ə.dʒi/; avoid tensing the middle vowels. Listen for a light secondary stress on the third syllable in slower speech. Audio references include standard dictionaries and language learning platforms.

Two common errors are stressing the wrong syllable and mispronouncing the -logy ending. Often speakers place primary stress on -te- or -me-, producing me-TEA-rol-uh-jee instead of me-ti-OR-ol-uh-jee. Another pitfall is saying /ˌmiːtiˈɒlədʒi/ with a clear ‘t’ or a hard 'g' without linking the vowels. Correct by practicing the sequence me-ti-OL-o-gy with natural vowel reductions and a soft, voiced 'dʒ' in -dʒi. Use slow, repeated listening and mimicry from reputable sources.

In US and UK, the primary stress is on the -ol- syllable: me-ti-OL-o-gy; rhoticity affects the initial /r/ in some accents, and vowel quality shifts slightly: US often has a reduced first syllable /ˌmiːtiə/; UK tends toward /ˌmiːtɪə/ with shorter /ə/ sounds. Australian pronunciation aligns closely with UK but tends to be less rhotic and with a slightly broader vowel in the second syllable. Overall, the main difference is vowel length and rhoticity, while the -dʒi/ ending remains consistent across accents.

The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic structure and the -ology ending, which combines several vowel sounds and a /dʒ/ sound. The shift of primary stress to the -ol- syllable can be unintuitive, and the sequence me-ti-OL-o-gy requires careful vowel reduction and timing. Additionally, learners often misplace the /t/ or insert a separate /o/ before the -logy, making it sound like meteor-ology rather than mete-or-ol-ology. Practice with slow, deliberate syllable division to master the flow.

The root -ology is a common suffix meaning 'study of', but in meteorology the preceding -o- interacts with the -logy to form a three-part rhythm me-ti-OL-o-gy. Learners often mispronounce by keeping the 't' too aspirated or by articulating -ology as two distinct syllables instead of smoothly linking them. Focus on a clean transition from /ˌmiːtiə/ to /ˈrɒl.ə.dʒi/ and keep the /dʒ/ as a single affricate rather than a clustered sound. Listen and imitate native data.