NOO-bawrn
/ˈnubɔɹn/
newborn is pronounced NOO-bawrn (/ˈnubɔɹn/). Newborn is a term describing a baby who has just been born or is in its first days of life. It also functions as an adjective to indicate something relating to a baby immediately after birth. The word combines the sense of newness with birth, and is commonly used in medical, parental, and consumer contexts.
Newborn is a term describing a baby who has just been born or is in its first days of life. It also functions as an adjective to indicate something relating to a baby immediately after birth. The word combines the sense of newness with birth, and is commonly used in medical, parental, and consumer contexts.
"The hospital reported 20 newborns yesterday."
"We bought a soft blanket for the newborn in the nursery."
"The newborn cried softly when the lights came on."
You say it as two syllables: /ˈnuː.bɔːn/ in General American and /ˈnjuː.bɔːn/ in many UK varieties, with the stress on the first syllable. The first vowel is a long 'oo' like 'food' and the second syllable has a broad, rounded back vowel. Place the tongue high and back for /uː/ and open for /ɔː/; lips should round slightly for both, with less lip rounding on the first vowel. You’ll hear a clear syllable break between /nuː/ and /bɔːn/.
Two common errors are pronouncing it as a single syllable (new-born as /ˈnuːn/ or /ˈnuːbɜːn/), and mixing up the second vowel to a shorter /ɔ/ or /ɑː/ without full length. To correct: keep two distinct syllables, ensure the /uː/ is long and tense, and articulate the /ɔː/ with an open-mid back rounded vowel. Practicing with a short pause between syllables helps enforce the boundary.
In US English you’ll typically hear /ˈnuː.bɔːn/ with rhoticity (r-colored in some connected speech but not in this word). In UK English you may encounter /ˈnjuː.bɔːn/, with less vowel reduction and a more fronted initial /n/ cluster. Australian English tends toward /ˈnjuː.bɔːn/ with a slightly more centralized /ə/ in some speakers; however, it remains two clear syllables with a long /uː/ and /ɔː/. The main differences involve rhotic articulation and subtle vowel quality shifts.
The challenge lies in delivering two long vowels in two quick syllables without smearing them, especially in rapid speech. The /uː/ needs tenseness and height; the /ɔː/ requires a rounded, open-back quality while maintaining length. Many speakers also apply a light linking or reduction in connected speech, which can blur the boundary. Focus on separating the syllables distinctly and controlling lip rounding for each vowel.
A distinctive factor is maintaining a clean boundary between /nuː/ and /bɔːn/ without inserting a schwa. Some speakers might insert a tiny, almost invisible /ɪ/ or /ə/ in rapid speech; avoid that. Aim for a crisp, two-syllable rhythm where each vowel is full and the /n/ at the start of the second syllable is released clearly. Stress remains on the first syllable.
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Newborn originates from early Middle English combinations of new + born. The term compounds two common roots: new (from Old English neawe, niwe, meaning recently created or discovered) and born (from Old English built from beon/bearan, related to birth and emergence). The concept of a newborn emphasizes the very immediate postnatal period, usually the first 28 days, though colloquial usage often extends to days or weeks after birth. The earliest attestations in English date from the late 15th to 16th centuries, where ‘newborn’ appeared in medical and literature contexts to specify infants who had just entered life. Over time, the word has become ubiquitous in clinical, parental, and consumer language (for example, newborn apparel, newborn care). The semantic development shows a narrowing from “recently born” to a distinctive stage of early infancy, carrying connotations of fragility, physiological novelty, and rapid sensory development.
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Words that rhyme with "newborn"
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