NUR-sing
/ˈnɝsɪŋ/
nursing is pronounced NUR-sing (/ˈnɝsɪŋ/). Nursing refers to the profession of caring for the sick or injured, typically within a medical setting, and to the act of feeding and tending to a baby or young child. It encompasses both clinical duties and patient advocacy, requiring technical knowledge, empathy, and teamwork. The term often highlights the practical, hands-on care provided by registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and other nursing staff.
Nursing refers to the profession of caring for the sick or injured, typically within a medical setting, and to the act of feeding and tending to a baby or young child. It encompasses both clinical duties and patient advocacy, requiring technical knowledge, empathy, and teamwork. The term often highlights the practical, hands-on care provided by registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and other nursing staff.
- You may merge the /r/ with the /ɜː/ (saying /ˈnɜɜːsɪŋ/). Keep the /r/ clearly articulated if you’re rhotic. - Another common error is inserting an extra schwa before /ɪŋ/ (e.g., /ˈnɜːrəsɪŋ/). Maintain a tight /ɜː/ then drop directly into /sɪŋ/. - Some speakers reduce the first syllable too much, producing /ˈnɜːsɪŋ/; keep stress on the first syllable by sustaining a full /ɜː/ and then release into /sɪŋ/.
"The nurse is on shift, checking vital signs and administering medications."
"She studied nursing because she wanted to help people during health crises."
"During the hospital tour, he learned about the different roles within nursing teams."
It’s pronounced as /ˈnɜːrˌsɪŋ/ in US accents and /ˈnɜːː.sɪŋ/ in many UK varieties, with primary stress on the first syllable 'NUR' and a short /ɪŋ/ ending. Keep the /ɜː/ vowel steady, and avoid inserting an extra syllable between /ɜː/ and /s/. You’ll hear the /r/ in rhotic accents; non-rhotic accents may drop the /r/ before the /s/ but still preserve the /ɜː/ sound.
Common errors include saying ‘nur-sing’ with a reduced third syllable or inserting an extra vowel between /ɜː/ and /s/ (e.g., /ˈnɜːrɪ-sɪŋ/). Another mistake is a weak or silent initial /r/ in rhotic speakers. Correct by ensuring clear, single-syllable /ˈnɜːr/ (US) or /ˈnɜː/ (UK) before the /sɪŋ/ portion, and practice the transition from the vowel to /s/ without a separate vowel.
In US English, /ˈnɜːrˌsɪŋ/ with rhotic /r/ and a strong schwa-like /ɜː/ in stressed syllable. UK English often has /ˈnɜːsɪŋ/ with a shorter /ɜː/ and may be non-rhotic, reducing the /r/; AU generally echoes US rhotic cues but with vowel qualities slightly different and a less pronounced /ɜː/ in some speakers. Across all, the ending /sɪŋ/ is consistent, but vowel length and rhoticity shift subtly.
Difficulties center on the tense mid vowel /ɜː/ in stressed syllable, the cluster transition into /s/ before /ɪŋ/, and in rhotic varieties ensuring the /r/ is pronounced or not. For non-native speakers, syllable timing around the first syllable can feel tricky, and slight vowel reduction in fast speech can blur the /ɜː/ and /s/ sequence. Practicing the exact mouth position and clean /ɜː/ to /s/ transition helps.
Yes—the combination of a strong initial vowel, the /r/ in rhotic accents, and the immediate /s/ followed by /ɪŋ/ creates a rapid consonant-vowel transition. You’ll want to sustain the /ɜː/ quality while guiding air smoothly into the /s/ without adding a vowel. Visualize a tight, aerodynamic mouth shape around /ɜː/ and keep the tongue high and forward for the /ɜː/.
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US: rhotic /r/, clearer separation between /r/ and /s/; UK: often non-rhotic, shorter /ɜː/; AU: rhotic but with vowel quality slightly higher and less elongated /ɜː/. IPA guides: US /ˈnɜːrˌsɪŋ/, UK /ˈnɜːsɪŋ/, AU /ˈnɜːrˌsɪŋ/. - Vowel: keep /ɜː/ tense and centered; Consonant: crisp /s/ before /ɪŋ/. - Mouth positions: lips neutral, tongue mid-high, back of tongue slightly raised for /ɜː/. - Stress: primary on first syllable; slight secondary stress or length before /ɪŋ/ in careful speech.
The word nursing comes from the Old English word nēosan or h? - no, from the noun nurce, nurse, from Latin nutrire 'to feed, nourish'. The modern noun nursing derives from the verb to nurse, meaning to feed, tend, and to rearing of offspring. Its sense expanded in the Middle Ages to describe women who nursed infants as a function of household care, then developed into a structured profession in the 19th century with institutions and training programs. In English, nurse as a person who tends to the sick emerged by the 14th century, with the job title ‘nursing’ used by the 17th–18th centuries to describe the act or profession. The term gained formal professional status through nursing schools and licensing, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries during modern medical reforms, public health expansion, and hospital systems. Today, nursing denotes both the field and the act of providing compassionate, skilled, patient-centered care across settings, from hospitals to community clinics. Traceable first uses appear in medical and domestic contexts, with early references in medieval and early modern English to caregiving roles that required moral and practical competence. The word’s evolution reflects broader changes in medicine, education, and labor organization, culminating in a specialized, regulated profession recognized worldwide.
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Words that rhyme with "nursing"
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