nawr-THWEST
/ˌnɔɹˈθwɛst/
northwest is pronounced nawr-THWEST (/ˌnɔɹˈθwɛst/). Northwest refers to a direction between north and west, typically indicating a compass bearing or a region in the northwestern part of a country. It can describe a geographical area, a climate pattern, or a cultural or political zone. The term is used broadly in navigation, geography, and regional naming, and often appears in phrases like northwest winds or the Northwest region of a state.
Northwest refers to a direction between north and west, typically indicating a compass bearing or a region in the northwestern part of a country. It can describe a geographical area, a climate pattern, or a cultural or political zone. The term is used broadly in navigation, geography, and regional naming, and often appears in phrases like northwest winds or the Northwest region of a state.
"The airplane turned northwest to avoid the storm."
"They drove northwest toward the mountains for the weekend."
"The Northwest region is known for its rainy climate and lush forests."
Say /ˈnɔːθˌwest/ for US/UK/AU alike, with primary stress on NORTH and secondary on west when pronounced as a single compound. Start with the open back rounded vowel /ɔː/ as in 'caught', then the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ in 'th', followed by /wɛst/ with a short /e/ as in 'bet' and a silent-ish but audible 't' release. Tip: keep the /θ/ steady and avoid letting /nɔː/ blend into /nɔːθw/. You’ll hear a crisp pause between the two parts in careful speech.
Two frequent errors: (1) merging /θ/ with /t/ or /s/, producing /nɔːθwest/ or /nɔːtwest/ instead of the clean /θ/; (2) misplacing the stress, saying /ˈnɔːwˌθɛst/ or /ˈnɔːθˌwest/ with erratic emphasis. Correct by isolating the /θ/ in 'th' as a voiceless dental fricative, and keep the /θ/ and /w/ tightly linked but distinct. Practice with minimal pairs like thought/though to reinforce the dental fricative’s mouth position and air flow.
In General American, vowels are pronounced with /ˈnɔːθˌwest/ with rhoticity affecting the preceding vowel slightly in some speakers. UK varieties typically retain /ɔː/ in /ˈnɔːθˌwest/ with non-rhoticity in broader contexts not affecting the word’s core, and Australians also align closely with /ˈnɔːθˌwest/ but may feature a more centralized or brighter /ɒ/ depending on regional vowels. The /θ/ in all these accents remains a voiceless dental fricative, but neighboring vowels may shift slightly in length and quality depending on vowel environment and speaker.
The difficulty centers on the sequence /ɔː/-/θ/—you move from a long back rounded vowel into a voiceless dental fricative without a vowel in between, which can be awkward for non-native ears and for learners who tense their jaw around /θ/. Additionally, the cluster /θw/ requires precise coordination of tongue blade against the upper teeth while preparing the following /w/ lip rounding. Slippery transitions and fast speech contribute to mispronunciations.
A unique concern is keeping the /θ/ correctly voiced as voiceless and making sure the /w/ after /θ/ does not blend into /f/ or /v/ in rapid speech. Some speakers may elide the /θ/ or reduce it to a dental stop; this alters the word’s identity. Focus on an audible /θ/ with a crisp release into /w/ and then a clear /est/ end—don’t let the /t/ slobber into the following syllable.
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Northwest combines north, the direction toward the top of a map, with west, the direction toward the left on most maps. The compound creates a cardinal-point term used in navigation and geography since antiquity, but its modern form is attested in English from the medieval and early modern periods as explorers and mapmakers described routes and regions by compass sectors. The root north derives from Old English norþ, related to Dutch noord and German nord, with Proto-Germanic origins *nurþo-/*nordaz, linked to the verb to turn or bend toward the pole. West comes from Old English west, from Proto-Germanic *westiz, tied to concepts of the setting sun and leftward directions in many Indo-European languages. The combined form northwest first appears in English texts as a directional descriptor in essays and travel logs of the late Middle Ages, becoming conventional in cartography, meteorology, and regional naming in the early modern period. Its meaning has broadened beyond mere cabling of directions to designate a geographic region (northwestern parts of a country or state) and, in meteorology, winds from the northwest quadrant. The term is stable in contemporary usage, though its exact regional scope varies by locale, with people often conflating the phrase with distinct cultural or climatic zones.
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Words that rhyme with "northwest"
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