noh-BIL-uh-tee
/noʊˈbɪləti/
nobility is pronounced noh-BIL-uh-tee (/noʊˈbɪləti/). Nobility refers to the class of people with hereditary or honorary rank, traditionally recognized as higher social status within a society. It also denotes noble qualities such as dignity, honor, and moral integrity. In usage, it often appears in discussions of social hierarchy, governance, or values, and can be contrasted with commoners or gentry. The term encompasses both the social group and the attribute of nobleness in character or behavior.
Nobility refers to the class of people with hereditary or honorary rank, traditionally recognized as higher social status within a society. It also denotes noble qualities such as dignity, honor, and moral integrity. In usage, it often appears in discussions of social hierarchy, governance, or values, and can be contrasted with commoners or gentry. The term encompasses both the social group and the attribute of nobleness in character or behavior.
"The nobility in that era held significant political influence and land ownership."
"She valued education and virtue over mere noble lineage."
"The novel explores how nobility of spirit can outshine aristocratic privilege."
US: /ˈnoʊ.bəl.ti/ with primary stress on the second syllable. UK: /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/ with similar emphasis on the second syllable; the first syllable is shorter, the middle vowel is reduced. AU: /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/ mirroring UK pronunciation. Note the 'no' or 'nob' portion starts with an /n/ + long /oʊ/ or short /ɒ/ depending on accent, followed by a weak /ə/ in the second syllable and a clear /ti/ at the end.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress (saying no-BIL-i-ty with final stress) and collapsing the middle syllable into a schwa too strongly, leading to /ˈnɒ.biːlɪti/ or /noʊˈbɪlɪti/. Correct by keeping primary stress on the second syllable and using a clear /əl/ for the middle, not an elongated /ɪ/. Ensure the final /ti/ is a light, crisp /ti/ rather than a dull /tɪ/ as in 'city.' Practicing with slow pace helps maintain syllable boundaries.
US tends to use /ˈnoʊ.bəl.ti/ with a longer first vowel and a rhotic-leaning /r/ influence? actually nobility is non-rhotic; US uses rhotic schwa? The middle /əl/ is often a reduced syllable /əl/ or /əl/; UK often /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/ with shorter first vowel, non-rhotic; AU mirrors UK but with slight vowel quality shifts, sometimes /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/ with more rounded vowels. Across all, primary stress on second syllable; vowels shift: US may have /noʊ/; UK/AU use /ɒ/ in the first syllable.
Key challenge: the /b/ followed by /əl/ can blur to /bəl/; the weak second syllable /bəl/ requires a quick, unstressed reduction that can slip into /bil/ or /bol/. The ending /ti/ should be a light alveolar stop + vowel rather than an explicit /ti/ sound. The two consonant cluster /bl/ in the middle also demands precise articulation; avoid inserting extra vowels. Practicing with minimal pairs helps lock the rhythm of -bil- and -ty.
Nobility has no silent letters in standard pronunciation. The sequence is pronounced /ˈnoʊ.bəl.ti/: the ‘b’ is voiced, the ‘li’ is a light /l/ + schwa, and the final /ty/ is /ti/ with a crisp release. Ensure you don’t skip the middle syllable entirely or turn it into /bil/ without the 'ə' sound; keeping the schwa in /bəl/ is key to natural pronunciation.
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US: /ˈnoʊ.bəl.ti/ with clear long /oʊ/ and a relaxed /ə/ in the middle; non-rhotic tendencies not essential but the /r/ is not present. UK: /ˈnɒ.bɪl.ti/ with shorter /ɒ/ and a more pronounced front lax /ɪ/ in the middle; AU: /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/ similar to UK, but vowels may be more centralized; keep rhoticity absent. Across all, primary stress on the second syllable; ensure the middle is /ə/ or /ɪ/ depending on accent but not a full vowel like /iː/. IPA references: US /ˈnoʊ.bəl.ti/, UK /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/, AU /ˈnɒb.ɪl.ti/.
Nobility comes from the Old French noblete, which itself derives from the Latin nobilitas, from nobilis meaning 'noble, well-known, renowned,' and ultimately from noscere or notia meaning 'to know' in the sense of recognized status. The word entered English in the late Middle Ages, aligning with the medieval social order where a distinct aristocratic class wielded privilege by birth or grant. Over centuries, the sense expanded to include not only status but also the quality of nobleness—honor, virtue, and grandeur of character—often captured in phrases like 'nobility of spirit.' During modern usage, nobility operates in two spheres: as a social class descriptor (the nobility) and as a virtue (nobility of character). First known attestations in English appear in heraldic and legal writings of the 14th–15th centuries, with broader literary usage by the 16th century in manners and moral discourse. The word has acquired nuance through literature, political theory, and social analysis, balancing the traditional reverence for aristocracy with contemporary debates about equality and virtue. Modern scholarship often separates the social class from moral quality, though both senses persist in everyday speech and rhetorical contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "nobility"
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