4 syllables: neu, ro, tic, ism. Stress on ro.
noo-ROH-tik-iz-uhm
/nuːˈroʊtɪkɪzəm/
neuroticism is pronounced noo-ROH-tik-iz-uhm (/nuːˈroʊtɪkɪzəm/). It has four syllables (neu-ro-tic-ism), with the stress on "ro". Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by a tendency to experience negative emotions, including anxiety, moodiness, and emotional instability. It reflects how strongly individuals react to stress and perceive events, often correlating with susceptibility to worry and self-consciousness. In psychology, it is commonly measured as a dimension of temperament that affects behavior and mental health.
Neuroticism is a personality trait characterized by a tendency to experience negative emotions, including anxiety, moodiness, and emotional instability. It reflects how strongly individuals react to stress and perceive events, often correlating with susceptibility to worry and self-consciousness. In psychology, it is commonly measured as a dimension of temperament that affects behavior and mental health.
- You often stress the wrong syllable. Fix by practicing the main stress on the 'ro' syllable: /ˌnjʊəˈroʊ.tɪˌsɪ.zəm/ (US: /ˌnʊˈroʊ.tɪ.sɪ.zəm/). - The 'eu' vowel can be mispronounced as a pure 'ee', leading to non-native sound. Train the 'eu' as a diphthong: /ˈnjuː/ or /ˈnʊə/. - The ending '-ism' can be misread as 'is-sum' vs 'ize-um'. Pronounce clearly as /-ɪ.zəm/ to avoid 'səm'. Practice with slow articulation and then speed up.
"Her neuroticism showed in the way she constantly revised emails and fretted over small missteps."
"The study linked higher neuroticism with increased reports of stress during exams."
"Though charming, his neuroticism sometimes led him to overanalyze social interactions."
/ˌnjʊərˈɒtɪˌsɪzəm/ (US: /ˌnʊˈroʊ.tɪˌsɪ.zəm/). Primary stress on the second syllable 'ro' in 'neuro-'. The sequence can sound like 'nyoo-ROH-tih-siz-uhm' in careful speech. Anchor the 'neo' as /ˈnjʊə/ or /ˈnuː/ depending on accent, then 'rot' as /ˈrɒt/ or /ˈroʊt/ and end with 'ism' /ɪzəm/. Audio references: consult Cambridge and Oxford pronunciations.
Common errors: misplacing primary stress (putting stress on 'ni' instead of 'ro'), slurring the middle consonant cluster to '/næɪ-rot-ɪ-ɪzɛm/', and mispronouncing the 'eu' as a long 'ee' sound. Correction: emphasize 'neo' as /ˈnjuː/ or /ˈnjʊ/ then stress on the 'ro' syllable: /ˌnjʊəˈroʊ.tɪˌsɪzəm/ (US: /ˌnʊˈroʊ.tɪ.sɪ.zəm/). Break the word into syllables: ne-u-rot-i-sism, then practice the stressed 'ro' with clear vowel /roʊ/ or /ɒ/. Practice with slow tempo and isolate the /t/.
US tends to reduce the second vowel and use /ˌnʊˈroʊ.tɪ.sɪ.zəm/ with rhotic r and clear /roʊ/; UK often yields /ˌnjuːˈrəʊ.tɪ.zɪ.zəm/ with non-rhoticity and a more rounded /əʊ/ in 'ro'. Australian usually overlaps US in rhotics but may have a flatter /eɪ/ in some vowels and a more centralized /ɪ/ in the 'ism' ending. In all accents, the key is stress pattern: secondary stress on 'ti' or 'siz', depending on dialect.
It's the multi-syllabic, compound structure with three vowels in a row in 'neuro-' and a trailing '-ism', plus the 'ti' cluster before 'sm'. The combination of /j/ gliding into /uː/ or /juː/ and the rhotic vs non-rhotic r adds complexity. Also, the middle syllable carries a lighter, unstressed tone, which can be easy to swallow. Practice the sequence: /ˌnjʊəˈroʊ.tɪˌsɪ.zəm/ to stabilize rhythm and place the stress.
The 'ti' is part of an unstressed syllable that often reduces to a 't' or 's' sound before 'iz' in many accents. In careful speech, it's /tɪ/ before /zəm/; in faster speech it can be realized as a reduced /tɪ/ or even an /s/ sound in some speakers. Focus on keeping /t/ crisp before the /ɪ/ and avoid blending into /s/ before the final /əm/.
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US: rhotic with clear /r/ and /oʊ/ in 'ro'; UK: non-rhotic or weak /r/, interdental or alveolar touches; AU: rhotic, with a slightly broader vowel in 'ro' and a tendency toward /ə/ in unstressed vowels. Vowels: dream the /ə/ in 'ism' as a schwa; ensure /roʊ/ or /rəʊ/ in 'ro'. Consonants: keep /t/ crisp; avoid flapping in the US when preceding /ɪ/. Reference IPA to guide articulation.
Neuroticism comes from the combination of neuro- (a prefix from the Greek neuron/nerve, related to nerves and the nervous system) and -tic (from -itis/-ic, forming adjectives and nouns relating to a state or condition). The modern psychological use traces back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, where 'neurotic' described emotional or nervous conditions and 'neuroticism' labeled a stable personality dimension concerning emotional reactivity. The term evolved from medical/classical descriptors of neurosis into a measurable trait within temperament psychology, with key early usage linked to German and British psychiatrists expanding to English-language psychology in the mid-1900s. First known uses appear in general psychology literature around the 1920s–1940s as psychologists sought to quantify individual differences in emotional stability, a precursor to later models like the Big Five personality traits where neuroticism is one dimension.
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Words that rhyme with "neuroticism"
-ism sounds
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