3 syllables: no, mi, nees. Stress on nees.
/ˌnɑməˈniz/
Say it backNominees are people formally proposed or selected for an award, position, or honor. The term typically implies a status that awaits final decision or confirmation, rather than an immediate appointment. In contexts ranging from journalism to governance, “nominees” denotes multiple individuals who have been put forward for consideration.
"The nominees for the best documentary were announced this morning."
"Several nominees will face questions from the committee before the vote."
"The board announced the nominees after a rigorous review process."
Nominees is stressed on the third syllable: /ˌnɒm.ɪˈniːz/ (US) or /ˌnɒ.mɪˈniːz/ (UK/AU). Start with the /nɒm/ syllable, then the unstressed /ɪ/ before the stressed /niːz/. Ensure the /niːz/ ends with a clear long E and z. Listen for the gentler vowel in the third syllable and a crisp final /z/; you’ll sound natural when you mouth the two stems gy or g-m-i. Audio reference: yougLish for “nominees” can help map the rhythm.
Common mistakes include misplacing stress (putting main stress on /ɒm/ or /ɪ/), reducing the second syllable too much (pronouncing /mɪ/ as a quick schwa), and mishandling the final /z/ (voicing or devoicing). Correction: maintain primary stress on /niː/ and clearly voice the final /z/, with a brief release. Keep /ɒ/ as a short, rounded back vowel and avoid turning /niːz/ into /niz/ (loss of the long vowel). Practice with minimal pairs to reinforce the /ˌnɒm.ɪˈniːz/ rhythm.
In US, /ˌnɒ.məˈniːz/ with a rhotic /ɹ/less but the /ɒ/ opening varies by speaker; in UK, /ˌnɒ.mɪˈniːz/ with a shorter /ɪ/ and non-rhoticity can tilt away from rhotics; Australian accents often resemble UK patterns but with more centralized vowels and a clearer /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Overall, the main stress remains on the third syllable /niːz/, but vowel qualities and the degree of rhoticity subtly shape each variant.
Nominees challenges include the triplet of unstressed/weakly stressed syllables and sequencing of vowels: the /ɒ/ in the first syllable, the /ɪ/ in the second, then the long /iː/ in the third, followed by /z/. The contrast between short /ɒ/ and long /iː/ can be hard for non-native speakers, and the final /z/ needs a clean voice onset/voicing. Practicing the sequence helps stabilize rhythm and avoid blending syllables.
How can you ensure the two middle syllables blend smoothly without reducing the long /iː/ sound? Use targeted practice: anchor the /niː/ as a stressed nucleus, keep the /ɪ/ as a light, quick bridge, and release into /ziːz/ with a crisp /z/. Record yourself saying three times in a row and compare with a native speaker; you’ll notice if /ɪ/ intrudes on /niː/ or if the /iː/ length shortens prematurely.
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Nominee derives from the Latin nominatus, past participle of nominare meaning 'to name, nominate, appoint.' The form nominare, 'to name,' appears in medieval Latin and was adapted into Old French as nominate and later into English as nominate. In English, the -ee suffix signals someone who is the recipient of a specified action, as in employee or nominee; in this word, -ee marks the person who is named or proposed. The plural -s is standard for English nouns, yielding nominees. The sense evolved from the act of naming someone for an office or prize to designate people officially put forward for selection. First known prints of nominate date to the 14th-15th centuries, with nominee appearing in the 16th-17th centuries in legal and political discourse, eventually taking on the general sense of “a person named for a position or prize.” Over time, the term accumulated contemporary usage in awards, elections, and formal appointments, while still retaining the core semantic thread of being named for consideration rather than yet chosen or confirmed.
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Words that rhyme with "nominees"
-ees sounds
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