NOY-zee
/ˈnɔɪzi/
noisy is pronounced NOY-zee (/ˈnɔɪzi/). Noisy describes a sound environment or source that is loud, disagreeable, and attention-grabbing. It implies high volume, intensity, or clamor that can be disruptive or uncomfortable, often characterized by multiple overlapping sounds or a persistent buzz. The term is commonly used to qualify places, events, or voices that hinder clear listening or concentration.
Noisy describes a sound environment or source that is loud, disagreeable, and attention-grabbing. It implies high volume, intensity, or clamor that can be disruptive or uncomfortable, often characterized by multiple overlapping sounds or a persistent buzz. The term is commonly used to qualify places, events, or voices that hinder clear listening or concentration.
"The construction site next door is 매우 noisy, making it hard to concentrate."
"In the café, the coffee grinder and chatter created a loud, noisy atmosphere."
"She waved her hand to be heard over the noisy crowd at the rally."
Pronounce it as /ˈnɔɪzi/ (US/UK/AU). Start with a stressed first syllable that glides from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ in the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, then a light /z/ followed by a short /i/ as in ‘see’ but reduced. Focus on a clean /z/ rather than an /s/ before the /i/. Audio reference: repeat after native speech samples and imitate the mouth movement for the /ɔɪ/ diphthong. Ensure the first syllable carries the primary beat: NOY-zee.
Common errors: (1) Slurring the /ɔɪ/ into a pure /o/ or /ɑ/ sound; (2) Substituting /z/ with /s/ in front of /i/, producing ‘noisi’ with a hiss instead of a voiced z; (3) Weak stress on first syllable, making it sound like 'nois-ee' or 'noi-si.' Correction tips: practice /ɔɪ/ as a glide from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/, emphasize the /z/ with a quick burst of voice, and keep the first syllable stressed. Record yourself and compare to native samples; aim for NOY-zi with a crisp z.
Across accents, /ˈnɔɪzi/ remains consistent in vowel quality, but the quality of /ɔɪ/ can vary: US often maintains a slightly higher tongue position during the glide; UK may have a sharper, more centralized /ɔɪ/ with less lip rounding; Australian often features a slightly broader, more open mouth and a longer, more open diphthong. Rhoticity has limited impact here since /ɔɪ/ is non-rhotic. Overall, listeners should notice subtle vowel height and glide differences rather than a different consonant that alters intelligibility.
The difficulty centers on the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, which requires a precise glide from a mid-back vowel toward a high front vowel, and the following /z/ which demands voicing and accurate voicing timing to avoid an /s/. Additionally, the final /i/ is short and can be devoiced in fast speech, making the word sound clipped. Articulation requires a smooth transition within the vowel cluster and clear voicing on the consonant.
Think of NOY-zee with the mouth making a subtle /ɔɪ/ glide and a sonorant /z/. Place the tongue for /ɔɪ/ by starting with an open jaw and a rounded lips, then move into /ɪ/ with the tongue higher and forward for the final /i/. The tip is to keep the first syllable longer and the second syllable shorter, with a crisp /z/ from vocal fold vibration. Practice by alternation with zero-voiced /s/ contrasts to feel the voicing difference.
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The adjective noisy comes from Middle English noisy, from Old French noisieu or noisif, meaning ‘nasty, disagreeable, troublesome,’ which itself traces to nois (noise) from Latin nausea? Actually, the English word noise derives from Old French noise, nocium, or nise. The form noisy emerged in the late Middle English period as the -y suffix attached to noise-related forms to create an adjective meaning ‘characterized by noise or loud sound.’ The semantic shift solidified in Early Modern English, with usage expanding from describing physical sound to also describing environments and sustained disturbances. The core sense of ‘containing or producing a lot of noise’ persisted, while metaphorical uses evolved to describe overwhelming or intrusive others (noisy neighbors, noisy atmosphere). The earliest printed senses appear in 15th–16th century English, aligning with increasing urbanization and the social need to describe sensory environments in crowded spaces. Over centuries, noisy has maintained stability in meaning, while collocations such as noisy street, noisy crowd, and noisy machinery became common. The word’s pronunciation and orthography followed general shifts in English vowel pronunciation and regional accents, but the core combination of n + oisy has remained consistent, with the long i sound in many dialects and frequent occurrences of the second syllable as -oʊi-/ɔɪ sound sequence in modern speech.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "noisy" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "noisy"
-osy sounds
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