4 syllables: Po, ro, si, ty. Stress on ro.
poh-ROH-sit-ee
/poʊˈɹoʊsɪti/
Porosity is pronounced poh-ROH-sit-ee (/poʊˈɹoʊsɪti/). It has four syllables (Po-ro-si-ty), with the stress on "ro". Porosity is the measure of how easily a material allows fluids or gases to pass through it, due to the presence of pores or voids. It is a property often discussed in geology, materials science, and soil science, where higher porosity indicates greater capacity for storage or flow. The term encompasses both the size and connectivity of pores within a substance.
nounPorosity is the measure of how easily a material allows fluids or gases to pass through it, due to the presence of pores or voids. It is a property often discussed in geology, materials science, and soil science, where higher porosity indicates greater capacity for storage or flow. The term encompasses both the size and connectivity of pores within a substance.
"The porosity of the soil determined how quickly groundwater moved through the bedrock."
"Industrial filters are chosen based on their porosity to ensure efficient fluid exchange."
"Researchers measured the porosity of the ceramic to assess its permeability."
Porosity is pronounced po-ROS-i-ty, with three syllables and primary stress on the second: /ˌpɔːˈrɒsɪti/ (UK) or /ˌpɔːˈrɑːsɪti/ (US). Start with a rounded /p/ and /ɔ/ as in 'port,' then a stressed /ˈrɒ/ or /ˈrɑ/ followed by /sɪ/ and a final /ti/ sound. Keep the //ɹ// lightly pronounced and ensure the 'o' in the first syllable does not become a long diphthong. Audio reference: listen for the clear three-syllable rhythm and the mid-second-syllable emphasis.
Common mistakes: (1) misplacing stress, saying po-ROS-i-ty with incorrect primary stress on the first or last syllable; (2) mispronouncing the middle vowel as a long /oː/ or /ɒ/ without reducing to /ɒ/ or /ɹɒ/; (3) attaching an extra vowel sound at the end, like /-i-ti/ becoming /-ɪsi/ or /-iːti/. Correction: emphasize the second syllable with a crisp /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ vowel, keep the final /ti/ as a short, unstressed /ti/, and avoid adding an extra syllable. Practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the /ɒ/ vs /ɔ/ spectrum and stress placement.
In US English, porosity is /ˌpɔːˈrɒsɪti/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a clearer /ɔː/ in the first syllable. UK English tends toward /ˌpɒˈrɒsɪti/ with a shorter /ɒ/ and less rhoticity in non-rhotic contexts; AU English often aligns with US in rhoticity but features a slightly broader /ɔː/ and a more open /ɒ/ in the first vowel depending on speaker. Core pattern: stress on the second syllable, syllable-timed rhythm, four distinct phonemes: /p/ /ɒ/ /r/ /ɒ/ /s/ /ɪ/ /t/ /i/.
The difficulty centers on balancing the two non-stressful vowels in the first and third syllables while maintaining the strong second-syllable stress. The /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ vowel quality changes by accent, and the /r/ can be rhotic or non-rhotic affecting preceding vowel length. Additionally, the final /ɪti/ cluster can tempt learners to insert an extra vowel or misplace the stress, making it sound like poro-sity or po-ro-si-ty. Focus on a clean /ɒ/ in the second syllable and a concise /ti/ at the end.
A unique aspect is the multisyllabic rhythm with distinct vowel qualities: the second syllable carries the main stress, while the first and third syllables use more concise vowels. There’s also a subtle difference in how the /ɹ/ interacts with the preceding vowel in US and AU accents. Practicing with a metronome helps lock the rhythm: three steady, crisp syllables before the final /ti/. This makes the word sound precise and technical in professional contexts.
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Porosity derives from the French porosité, from Latin porosus meaning 'full of pores,' with porus meaning 'passage' or 'hole.' The Latin root porus appears in anatomical and natural science terms. The suffix -ity denotes a quality or state. The word entered English in the 18th century within geology and mineralogy contexts, reflecting growing interest in pore structure of rocks, soils, and membranes. Early usage emphasized physical porosity as a measure of void fraction, evolving to broader materials science applications as porous media became central to filtration, catalysis, and fluid transport research. Over time, porosity has taken on precise quantitative definitions (total porosity, effective porosity) and is fundamental in disciplines ranging from hydrogeology to petroleum engineering. First known uses appear in scientific writings around the 1700s, with expanding usage in the 19th and 20th centuries as instrumentation and imaging techniques allowed better characterization of pore networks.
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Words that rhyme with "Porosity"
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