4 syllables: Per, i, pher, y. Stress on i.
pur-IF-ur-ee
/pɚˈɪfɚi/
Periphery is pronounced pur-IF-ur-ee (/pɚˈɪfɚi/). It has four syllables (Per-i-pher-y), with the stress on "i". Periphery is a noun meaning the outer edge or boundary of an area, often referring to the outer regions surrounding a central point. It can also describe the less central, less influential parts of a system or society. The term emphasizes contrast with the core or center and is commonly used in geography, anatomy, sociology, and discussions of influence or activity near the margins.
nounPeriphery is a noun meaning the outer edge or boundary of an area, often referring to the outer regions surrounding a central point. It can also describe the less central, less influential parts of a system or society. The term emphasizes contrast with the core or center and is commonly used in geography, anatomy, sociology, and discussions of influence or activity near the margins.
How to Pronounce Periphery
"The festival attracted people from the city’s bustling center and those on the periphery."
"Edge sensors monitor activity at the periphery of the network."
"She kept her research focused on the periphery of the field, where new ideas emerge."
Pronunciation: /pəˈrɪfəri/ (US/UK/AU). The stress falls on the second syllable: pe-RIF-uh-ree. Start with a short neutral vowel /ə/ before the stressed syllable, then /ˈrɪ/ as in ‘ride,’ followed by /fə/ and end with /ri/. Listen for the subtle schwa in the first and third syllables and a crisp /r/ sound in the second syllable. Audio reference: you can compare examples on Pronounce or Cambridge audio dictionaries.
Common mistakes: 1) Dropping the second syllable stress or misplacing it (eg, pe-RI-feh-ry). 2) Reducing /ɪ/ to a lazy vowel or flattening /ə/ in the first syllable. 3) Mispronouncing the final -ry as /ri/ with a rolled or awkward /ɹ/. Corrections: emphasize /ˈrɪ/ as the nucleus, maintain a clear /ə/ in the first syllable, and end with a light /ri/ without altering the /r/ quality. Practice with slow repeats and a musical rhythm to lock the pattern.
US/UK/AU share /pəˈrɪfəri/, but rhoticity matters: US tends to a more pronounced rhotic /ɹ/ in the second syllable and a slightly sharper /ɪ/; UK can have a longer /əː/ in the first syllable and less vowel reduction, with a less pronounced /ɹ/ in non-rhotic contexts; AU is similar to UK but often with more clipped vowels and a slightly higher overall pitch. Overall the second syllable stresses /ˈrɪ/ consistently across accents.
Phonetic challenges include the three-syllable structure with a stressed central syllable and the sequence /rəˈf/ where the /r/ can be tricky for learners, plus ensuring the /æ/ or /ə/ quality shifts in the first syllable depending on the speaker. The ending -phy is pronounced as /fəri/; learners often devoice the second /ɹ/ or merge /fə/ and /ri/ too quickly. Being mindful of syllable timing helps: keep the middle /ˈrɪ/ prominent while softening surrounding vowels.
A unique aspect is maintaining the /f/ sound in the middle syllable while transitioning quickly from the /ɪ/ to /fə/; avoid turning the middle into /fri/ or /fəri/ with a weak /ɪ/. Also ensure the final /ri/ is not reduced to /riː/ or omitted in rapid speech. Practice with minimal pairs that emphasize /ˈrɪ/ vs /ˈri/ sequences to solidify the correct rhythm and avoid conflation with ‘perfect’ or ‘peripheral.’
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Periphery comes from the Late Latin peripheria, which itself derives from Greek peripheria (periphery), from peri- 'around' + pherein 'to carry'. The root peri- means around, enclosing, or about, while -pher- relates to bearing or carrying. In Greek geometry and astronomy, periphery described the boundary around a circle or sphere. In English, periphery entered technical and anatomical vocabularies in the 17th–18th centuries, adopted by scholars to denote the outer limits of a region, organ, or system, especially contrasting with the center (core). The sense expanded to social and strategic contexts—fringes of a population, peripheral vision, peripheral devices—while retaining the core concept of an outer boundary or margin. The word’s pronunciation settled into /pəˈrɪfəri/ in modern English, with syllabic stress on the second syllable, aligning with the Greek-derived prefix peri- and root -pher-, adjusted to English phonology over time.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Periphery" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Periphery" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Periphery"
-ery sounds
-rry sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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