3 syllables: non, hu, man. Stress on hu.
nahn-HYOO-muhn
/nɑnˈhjumən/
nonhuman is pronounced nahn-HYOO-muhn (/nɑnˈhjumən/). It has three syllables (non-hu-man), with the stress on "hu". Nonhuman refers to something not of, or relating to, humans; often used to describe animals, machines, or entities lacking human traits. It denotes difference in origin or nature from human beings, and is commonly used in philosophical, scientific, or literary contexts. The term contrasts with human and emphasizes non-biological or non-anthropomorphic qualities while remaining a standard adjective in formal and academic writing.
Nonhuman refers to something not of, or relating to, humans; often used to describe animals, machines, or entities lacking human traits. It denotes difference in origin or nature from human beings, and is commonly used in philosophical, scientific, or literary contexts. The term contrasts with human and emphasizes non-biological or non-anthropomorphic qualities while remaining a standard adjective in formal and academic writing.
- You might swallow the /h/ in nonhuman, giving /nonuman/; ensure you pronounce the /h/ clearly to mark the boundary before /juː/. - Another error is misplacing stress on the first syllable; the primary stress sits on HU- (the second syllable). Practice: nɒnˈhjuːmən. - Some learners shorten /juː/ to /ju/ or /uː/; keep the long /juː/ vowel, as in 'you'. - Final consonant can be devoiced or reduced in rapid speech; ensure /mən/ remains audible with a light schwa in the second syllable. - Lastly, some mispronounce as /nɔːn/ or blend into 'nonhuman' as 'non-human' with heavy glottal stop; maintain the smooth /h/ transition and avoid a hard pause.
Tips: slow the syllables, emphasize the second syllable, and practice with minimal pairs like nonhuman vs nonhumanity to hear the exact rhythm.
"The lab is studying nonhuman primates to understand genetic evolution."
"The robot was designed to simulate nonhuman behavior with precise, non-emotional responses."
"In some stories, nonhuman entities possess intelligence that rivals or exceeds that of humans."
Pronounce as /nɑnˈhjuːmən/ in US, UK, and AU. Break it into two parts: non- + human, with primary stress on the second syllable: non-HU-man. Begin with the nasal /n/ followed by /ɑ/ (like 'father'), then /n/; the second syllable starts with /h/ then /juː/ (the 'you' sound) and ends with /mən/ (the 'mun' as in 'human' without the 'h' emphasis). Mouth positions: open jaw for /ɑ/, lip neutral, tongue tip to alveolar ridge; for /hjuː/ keep a light breath and then a rounded, high back vowel for /juː/. Listen to native speech for rhythm. IPA: US /nɑnˈhjuːmən/, UK /nɒnˈhjuːmən/, AU /nɒnˈhjuːmən/.
Two common errors: First, misplacing the stress, saying nonHUMan with incorrect stress; second, merging the /juː/ into a short /ju/ or mispronouncing /h/ as silent. Correction: keep secondary syllable stress on HU, i.e., /nɑnˈhjuːmən/; articulate /h/ clearly then glide into /juː/ as a consistent, rounded vowel, not a quick /jə/ or /ju/. Also ensure final /ən/ isn’t devoiced to /ən̥/ in rapid speech.
US pronunciation tends toward /nɑnˈhjuːmən/ with a clear /ɑ/ (as in 'father') and a strong /juː/; UK often uses /nɒnˈhjuːmən/ with a short /ɒ/ and similarly pronounced /hjuː/; Australian usually mirrors UK but with Australian vowel shifts, often slightly wider diphthongs and more centralized /ɒ/; in all, the /n-/ is nasal and the second syllable bears primary stress, but vowel qualities vary by accent.
Two challenges: the abrupt boundary between /n/ and /h/ can cause a breath-ier transition, and the /hjuː/ cluster demands precise combination of aspirated /h/ with the /j/ glide; many speakers fuse /h/ with the following vowel, producing /noh-yo͞omən/ or /nɒnjʊmən/. Practice separating the /h/ and /j/ sounds, and emphasize the /juː/ without reducing it to /ju/ or /jə/. IPA cues help: n-ɑn ˈhjuː-mən.
A relevant, unique query is distinguishing nonhuman from non-human, focusing on hyphenation and stress patterns when used as a compound adjective; people might search for 'nonhuman vs non-human pronunciation' or 'pronounce nonhuman with stress on second syllable' to clarify standard usage in prose.
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- US: /nɑnˈhjuːmən/. The /ɜː/ or /ə/ vowel in the final syllable tends to be a schwa; keep /mən/ light. Rhoticity is standard; you might hear slightly stronger rhotics in connected speech. - UK: /nɒnˈhjuːmən/. Short /ɒ/ as in 'lot', clear /hjuː/ cluster; final /ən/ often reduced to /ən/ with a subtle schwa; keep it soft. - AU: /nɒnˈhjuːmən/. Similar to UK but vowel shifts may be more centralized; maintain the two-syllable rhythm, not merging the second vowel. Key tips: keep the /h/ audible, avoid turning /hjuː/ into /juː/ or /jŭ/; mouth position: for /ɑ/ or /ɒ/ open jaw; for /h/ lightly exhale; for /juː/ shape lips in a rounded high front vowel. Use IPA references as you vary by accent.
The word nonhuman is a compound formed from the prefix non- meaning “not” and the noun/adjective human. The suffix -an is functionally adjectival here, akin to other compounds such as nonhumanity in some uses. The first component non- has Germanic roots and appears in many English negations, dating back to Old English. The root human comes from Latin humanus via Old French humain, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéǵʰōs (earth-born) or *ambh- (to be connected with). The modern sense of nonhuman as “not human” emerged in early modern scientific and philosophical discourse, particularly in discussions contrasting human exceptionalism with nonhuman animals, machines, or abstract entities. The term gained broader usage in the 19th and 20th centuries, paralleling advances in biology, cognitive science, and robotics. In contemporary usage, nonhuman frequently appears in academic prose, philosophy of mind, ethics, and speculative fiction, often accompanied by compounds like nonhuman animal, nonhuman primate, or nonhuman intelligence. While the base human is constant, nonhuman’s semantic range has expanded to include anything lacking human characteristics, including artificial constructs, extraterrestrial beings, or nonbiological systems, making it a versatile, precise descriptor in formal discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "nonhuman" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "nonhuman"
-man sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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