NEK-luhs
/ˈnɛkləs/
necklace is pronounced NEK-luhs (/ˈnɛkləs/). Necklace refers to a string or chain worn around the neck with a decorative pendant or ornament. It is a common jewelry item whose pronunciation centers on a two-syllable structure with initial /n/ and a light syllabic flow between the /k/ and /l/ sounds. The word’s meaning remains stable across contexts: an accessory worn for adornment, gifting, or cultural significance.
Necklace refers to a string or chain worn around the neck with a decorative pendant or ornament. It is a common jewelry item whose pronunciation centers on a two-syllable structure with initial /n/ and a light syllabic flow between the /k/ and /l/ sounds. The word’s meaning remains stable across contexts: an accessory worn for adornment, gifting, or cultural significance.
- Misplacing stress or overemphasizing the second syllable. Keep primary stress on NECK and let the second syllable be light: /ˈnɛk.ləs/. - Over-articulating the second syllable, turning it into /-læs/ or /-lɛs/; avoid adding a full vowel before the final /s/. - Mispronouncing the /k/ and /l/ sequence as separate, slow sounds. Practice a quick /k/ release into a sharp /l/ followed by a soft /əs/.
"She wore a silver necklace that matched her evening dress."
"The gift was a gold necklace with a small emerald pendant."
"In many cultures, a locket necklace carries sentimental value."
Necklace is pronounced /ˈnɛk.ləs/ in US and UK English. The emphasis is on the first syllable: NECK. The second syllable uses a light, unstressed schwa-like vowel, sounding like -ləs. Start with the /n/ then /ɛ/ as in 'bet', then /k/ and a quick /l/ transition into /əs/. In connected speech, the /l/ can blur slightly before the /ə/ (schwa) giving a smooth /ˈnɛk.ləs/ rhythm. Listen to native playback to feel the syllable boundary.
Two common errors are misplacing the stress and over-articulating the final syllable. Some learners put secondary emphasis on the second syllable, saying /ˈnɛk.læts/ or /ˈnɪk.ləs/ with an airy final /s/ or an /ə/ that’s too reduced. Another frequent mistake is merging /l/ and /ə/ into a heavy /lə/ cluster or pronouncing the /e/ as a long /eɪ/ as in 'neck-lace' misplacing a long vowel. Correct by keeping prominent first syllable with /nɛm/? No, use /ˈnɛk/ then a quick /ləs/. Practice with minimal pairs: neckless vs necklace.” ,
US/UK/AU all share /ˈnɛk.ləs/ generally, but differences occur in vowel quality and rhoticity. US tends to have a slightly lower /ɛ/ in the first syllable and maintains rhoticity with a smoother /r? none/. UK often preserves a crisper, shorter /ɪ/? No, the vowel remains /ɛ/ but with slightly clipped consonant release; AU is similar to UK but with a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable and a softer /l/ transition. Rhoticity is largely non-influential here since /r/ is not present; the main differences are vowel clarity and intonation contours across dialects.
The difficulty lies in the /k/ and /l/ cluster at the syllable boundary and the unstressed second syllable. You must transition quickly from the alveolar /n/ to /ɛ/ and then smoothly release into /k/ and /l/ before the unstressed /əs/. The glide from /l/ to a weak schwa can create a blurred boundary; learners often insert an extra vowel or mispronounce the /l/ as a muted /r/. Focus on timing: a tight, quick transition between the hard /k/ and the light /l/ can feel awkward, but is essential for natural-sounding necklace.
A distinctive feature is the weak second syllable reduction to a soft /əs/ after the /l/ cluster. It’s not fully pronounced as a separate syllable with a full vowel, but rather a quick, almost syllabic /l/ followed by a schwa. This is a classic two-syllable word with a light, almost elided second syllable in connected speech. Emphasize the transition from /k/ to /l/ and then to /əs/ in fluent speech.
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- US: maintain a clear but rapid /k/ before the /l/; the /ə/ in /ləs/ remains reduced; keep the vowel in the first syllable bright as /ɛ/. - UK: slightly crisper consonants; the /ɛ/ may be a touch tenser; the /l/ often touches the tooth ridge more distinctly. - AU: similar to UK with a slightly flatter diphthong in /ɛ/ and a more relaxed /ə/; the /l/ is light but clear. IPA references: US /ˈnɛk.ləs/, UK /ˈnekləs/, AU /ˈnekləs/.
Necklace entered English in the late 16th to early 17th century, derived from the combination of neck and lace. The base term neck traces to Old English nexan (to seize or seize upon? historically linked to binding) and Latin nexus (binding, tie). Lace, originating from Old French lacier and Latin lapsus? underwent semantic extension to mean a decorative string or cord in jewelry. The evolving sense combined neck as the body-part anchor with lace as a delicate, decorative binding around the neck, yielding the compound meaning a decorative chain or band worn about the neck. First known usages appear in merchant catalogs and travelogues describing fashion accessories, with the compound becoming standard in jewelry terminology by the 17th century. Over time, necklace broadened to include varied materials—gold, silver, beads, gemstones—and styles (choker, pendant, statement). The word’s imagery of a binding or adornment around the neck persisted, even as fashion trends shifted toward larger or more minimal designs. In modern usage, necklace is a universal term for any worn neck ornament, from everyday chains to heirloom pieces, while etymological cousins in related languages emphasize analogous constructions (neck + lace/cord), revealing a shared cultural practice of adorning the neck with fabric-like or thread-like bindings.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "necklace" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "necklace"
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