4 syllables: Pen, ta, go, nal. Stress on ta.
pen-TAG-uh-nuhl
/pɛnˈtæɡənəl/
Pentagonal is pronounced pen-TAG-uh-nuhl (/pɛnˈtæɡənəl/). It has four syllables (Pen-ta-go-nal), with the stress on "ta". Pentagonal is an adjective describing a shape having five angles or sides. It is often used in geometry to classify pentagons and related figures. The word emphasizes the characteristic five-angled geometry, and is used in technical, academic, and educational contexts to specify properties of five-sided polygons.
adjectivePentagonal is an adjective describing a shape having five angles or sides. It is often used in geometry to classify pentagons and related figures. The word emphasizes the characteristic five-angled geometry, and is used in technical, academic, and educational contexts to specify properties of five-sided polygons.
- You may stress the wrong syllable: ensure primary stress on the second syllable (pen-TAG-uh-nal) rather than the first; practice by clapping the rhythm: da-da-DUM-da. - Vowel reduction in the middle: in fast speech the /ə/ in -gan- may become a quick schwa; keep it audible but short to avoid mispronunciation of /ˈtæɡ/. - Final consonant cluster: the ending -nal can blend; avoid turning it into -nəl or -nal with a heavy L. Keep it light and crisp to avoid liaisons.
"The pentagonal prism has two parallel pentagonal bases connected by rectangular faces."
"Researchers studied a pentagonal molecular shape to understand its bonding angles."
"Students drew a pentagonal star to illustrate five-point symmetry."
Pronounce as /pɛnˈtægənəl/ in US/UK/AU. Break it into pe-nTAG-o-nal, with primary stress on the second syllable “TAG.” Start with /p/ + short e /ɛ/, then /n/ + /tæ/ (short a as in ‘cat’), followed by /ɡə/ (soft g + schwa), and end with /nəl/ where the l is light and the final syllable reduces to /nəl/. Listen for the five-syllable rhythm: pen-TAG-uh-nal. Audio references matching this IPA exist in standard dictionaries and the video tutorial you mentioned.
Common missteps: misplacing the stress, saying /pɛnˈtæɡənəl/ with stress on the first syllable; confusing the middle vowel as /æ/ vs /ə/ in the unstressed ‘go’ part; and mispronouncing the /ŋ/ or the final /l/ due to quick speech. Correction: keep primary stress on the second syllable /tæg/ and ensure the /ə/ before the final /l/ is a soft schwa; finish with a distinct but light /l/. Practice the sequence pen-TAG-uh-nal to keep rhythm natural.
US/UK/AU all share /pɛnˈtægənəl/, but rhotic differences can affect vowel quality in the r-less or r-colored context; UK often has crisper /t/ and less vowel reduction in rapid speech; AU tends to be more diffuse vowel length and a slightly softer /æ/ in /tæg/. The middle /ə/ reduces in casual speech, and the final /l/ may be realized as a dark or light L depending on speaker. IPA remains broadly similar, with minor vowel quality shifts.
The difficulty centers on balancing five distinct phonemes in sequence: the initial /p/ stop, the tense vowel /ɛ/ in /pɛn/, the stressed /tæ/ with a quick /t/ release, the /ɡən/ cluster containing a soft g and a schwa, and finally the /əl/ ending with a subtle L. The combination of a five-syllable word, the unstressed mid vowels, and the subtle final consonant can cause misalignment in tempo and articulation, especially for non-native speakers.
Is there a link between the middle syllable and the root sense of angle in pentagonal? The pronunciation itself is straightforward, but the second syllable carries the primary stress (pen-TAG-uh-nal). The 'g' is a hard /g/ here, not a soft /dʒ/ or /ɡ/ in other compounds. You’ll often hear learners mis-stress or mash the syllables; keeping the /tæ/ as a crisp, short vowel helps maintain the intended meaning.
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- US: expect rhoticity reduction and a crisp /t/; - UK: slightly longer vowels, with clearer /t/ and less vowel vowel weakening; - AU: more vowel width in /æ/ and a warmer, more relaxed /ə/; IPA references aid accuracy. Focus on the central /æ/ and the final /əl/; avoid a strong American rhotic vowel in the final syllable. Use mouth positions: lips neutral for /p/ and /b/ around the /ɛ/ and /æ/; tip your tongue to avoid a nasalized /n/ before /ə/.
Pentagonal comes from the French pentagonal, from late Latin pentagonalis, from Greek pente ‘five’ + gōnḗ ‘angle, corner’ + -al as a suffix forming adjectives. The root stems from Greek pent-, meaning five, paired with gōnḗ, meaning angle or corner, signifying a figure with five corners. The term entered English via mathematical and scientific discourse in the 16th to 18th centuries as geometry and polygon theory developed. Over time, pentagonal appeared in both descriptive geometry and crystallography to denote five-sided polygons. The combining form -agonal is common in polygon-related terms (e.g., quadrilateral, hexagonal), indicating a relationship to angle-based geometry. Early usage centers on explicit reference to five-angled shapes, expanding to more specialized technical contexts as polygon nomenclature matured. First known uses co-occur in mathematical texts from the Renaissance, with broader adoption in geometry textbooks and scientific papers by the 18th and 19th centuries as standardized polygon naming conventions became common.
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Words that rhyme with "Pentagonal"
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