5 syllables: Phy, si, og, no, my. Stress on og.
fiz-i-AHG-nuh-mee
/ˌfɪz.ɪˈɑɡ.nə.mi/
Physiognomy is pronounced fiz-i-AHG-nuh-mee (/ˌfɪz.ɪˈɑɡ.nə.mi/). It has five syllables (Phy-si-og-no-my), with the stress on "og". Physiognomy is the study of a person’s facial features to judge their character or personality. It is a discipline with roots in ancient and medieval thought, often regarded today as pseudoscience. The term denotes the practice of inferring traits from appearances, not a reliable diagnostic method, and is primarily of historical interest in anthropology and psychology.
nounPhysiognomy is the study of a person’s facial features to judge their character or personality. It is a discipline with roots in ancient and medieval thought, often regarded today as pseudoscience. The term denotes the practice of inferring traits from appearances, not a reliable diagnostic method, and is primarily of historical interest in anthropology and psychology.
How to Pronounce Physiognomy
"Her interest in physiognomy waned as modern psychology emphasized behavioral evidence over appearance."
"During the lecture, she discussed how physiognomy influenced art and literature in Renaissance Europe."
"Some philosophers criticized physiognomy as a biased framework for judging people by their looks."
Pronounce as /ˌfɪziˈɒnəmi/ in US, /ˌfɪziɒˈnɒmi/ in UK, and /ˌfɪziɒnˈɒmi/ in AU. The main stress falls on the third syllable: fi-zy-OG-no- my, with a secondary stress on the second-ish syllable depending on accent. Start with a light ‘f’ then ‘ith-ee’ sound cluster, the ‘-gnom-’ yields a soft nasal blend, and finish with ‘-omy’ as in ‘harmony’ but with the final /i/. Listen for the three-syllable binary rhythm and avoid turning it into a two-syllable word.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress by stressing the first or last syllable instead of the expected third syllable; (2) Mispronouncing the -gn- cluster as a hard ‘gn’ like ‘gnome’ instead of a soft nasal blend; (3) Merging vowels too early producing /ˌfɪzɪˈɒnəmi/ or /ˌfɪzˈaɪɒnəmi/. Correction: keep the /gn/ as a palatal nasal blend with a light onset and hold the /ɒ/ vowel in the fourth syllable; ensure the /ɡ/ is silent in the -gnom- cluster and the /n/ remains nasalized. Practice with minimal pairs and slow tempo.
US: /ˌfɪziˈɒnəmi/ with reduced first vowel and strong final stress on -nomy; UK: /ˌfɪziɒˈnɒmi/ with more rolled or alveolar-based rareness and clearer /ɒ/ in the middle; AU: /ˌfɪziɒnˈɒmi/ similar to UK but with Australian vowel height and a broader long a. The rhoticity difference is minimal since the word contains no rhotic vowel after the /ɹ/; focus on vowel quality: US often reduces the first syllable, UK/AU maintain a fuller /ɪ/ and /ɒ/ in mid and end positions.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic structure and the -gnom- cluster, which produces a palatal nasal sequence that many learners mispronounce as a hard /ɡ/ or split into three even syllables. The three-syllable rhythm with stress on the third syllable is easy to miss when speaking quickly, and the mid vowels /ɒ/ and /ɒ/ must be distinct to avoid confusion with similar words. Master small-island segments: fi-zy-OG-no-my.
A unique point is the pronunciation of -gn- as a single palatal nasal blend: it’s not a separate hard ‘g’ or ‘n’. The effect is a smooth transition between /z/ and /ɒ/ via the /zɪ/ sequence, requiring careful tongue position behind the upper teeth and a light, quick release of the nasal. Focus on sustaining the /n/ as a nasal rather than a stop and keeping the second vowel accurate: /ɒ/ rather than /ɔː/ in many dialects.
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Physiognomy comes from the Greek words physio- (nature, relating to the body) and -gnomy (knowledge, study, from gignōskein ‘to know, to perceive’). The term first appeared in ancient Greek texts and entered Latin as physiognomia before adopting its modern English form in the early modern period. Historically, physiognomy was linked to Aristotelian and Stoic thought, implying that character and moral qualities could be discerned from facial features. Throughout the 16th to 19th centuries, it enjoyed popularity in medical, philosophical, and artistic circles, influencing debates on race, temperament, and social judgment. By the 20th century, scientific critiques diminished its credibility, with psychology and anthropology emphasizing controlled observation and empirical methods. The word now often appears in historical or literary contexts, and in discussions of bias in interpretation of appearance. First known English attestations surface in the late 16th to early 17th centuries, aligning with earlier Greek roots and the Latinized form physiognomia.
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Words that rhyme with "Physiognomy"
-ony sounds
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