3 syllables: Po, si, tive. Stress on Po.
PAH-zuh-tiv
/ˈpɑzətɪv/
Positive is pronounced PAH-zuh-tiv (/ˈpɑzətɪv/). It has three syllables (Po-si-tive), with the stress on "Po". Positive is an adjective meaning characterized by or expressing certainty, encouragement, or usefulness; also indicating something beneficial or favorable. It can describe attitude (a positive outlook), outcomes (positive results), or evidence (positive proof). In formal writing it signals affirmation, while in everyday speech it conveys confidence or optimism.
adjectivePositive is an adjective meaning characterized by or expressing certainty, encouragement, or usefulness; also indicating something beneficial or favorable. It can describe attitude (a positive outlook), outcomes (positive results), or evidence (positive proof). In formal writing it signals affirmation, while in everyday speech it conveys confidence or optimism.
"Her positive attitude helped the team stay motivated during the project."
"Scientists reported positive results from the preliminary trials."
"He received a positive review on his performance."
Pronounce as POZ-i-tiv with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US /ˈpɒzɪtɪv/, UK /ˈpɒzɪtɪv/, AU /ˈpɒzɪtɪv/. Start with the rounded open back vowel in /ɒ/, then /z/ followed by a short /ɪ/ in the second syllable, and finish with /tɪv/. Ensure the final consonant is a light /v/, not a voiced /f/ or /b/. Mouth: lips neutral at the start, slight rounding for /ɒ/ in many accents, tongue for /z/ at the alveolar ridge, and a quick, crisp /t/ before /ɪv/. Tip: keep stress on the first syllable and don’t reduce the second syllable too much in careful speech.
Common errors: (1) Underprouncing the first syllable by softening it to /pɪz/; correct it to /ˈpɒz/ with a tighter, rounded /ɒ/. (2) Slurring the /zɪ/ cluster into a long /zɪ/; keep a short, unstressed /ɪ/ as in /zɪ/. (3) Final syllable mispronunciation by overemphasizing /v/ or adding an extra vowel; correct it to a light /v/ after a short /ɪ/ → /ɪv/. Correction tips: exaggerate the first syllable briefly during practice, then reduce to natural force; practice /ˈpɒz/ + /ɪt/ + /ɪv/ in isolation, then in words like ‘positional’.
US/UK/AU differences mainly involve vowel quality of /ɒ/ and rhoticity. US and UK: /ˈpɒzɪtɪv/ with the first vowel closer to /ɑ/ or rounded /ɒ/; US often rhotic? US pronounces /ɒ/ as /ɑ/ in many dialects (cot–caught merger); UK keeps a rounded /ɒ/ in most RP-like forms. Australian tends to a broader /ɒ/ with slightly less rounded rounding and quicker vowel reduction in connected speech. The /t/ is typically a clean /t/ in all three, sometimes a flap [ɾ] in rapid US speech when between vowels; the final /v/ remains voiced. Overall: stress position stable; vowel color differences and r-coloring influence perception of the first vowel and overall timbre.
The difficulty lies in the fronting and rounding of the first vowel /ɒ/ in many dialects, the quick, crisp /t/ before the unstressed /ɪ/ and the final /v/ blending with the preceding vowel. Some speakers may produce /ˈpɒzətiːv/ or /ˈpɒzɪtɪf/ if overarticulating the final /v/ or misplacing the tongue for /z/. Others misplace stress, saying po-ZI-tive. Focus on keeping the first syllable compact with slight rounding, then move quickly to a short /ɪ/ before /tɪv/. IPA cues help: /ˈpɒzɪtɪv/.
A unique feature is the sequence /zɪt/ that sits between the first and final consonants; many learners bite the /z/ too hard or let /z/ influence the following /ɪ/ into a longer sound. Focus on a clean boundary between /z/ and /ɪ/, producing a short, clipped /ɪ/ and then a precise /t/ before the /ɪv/. This helps avoid a drawn-out middle syllable and preserves the characteristic crispness of the word.
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Positive derives from Old French positif, from Latin positivus, meaning “settled, placed, given by law,” itself from the Latin positus, past participle of ponere ‘to place’. The sense evolved through Middle French as ‘positive, certain’ and entered English around the 15th–16th centuries with philosophical and mathematical usage (e.g., positive numbers, definite assertions). In modern English, the term broadened beyond certainty to include favorable outcomes and constructive attitudes. The word frequently pairs with prefixes such as ‘un-’ to form ‘uns positive’ in rare contexts, and its semantic field has expanded in science and education to denote verifiable or measurable conditions (positive correlation, positive test results). The trajectory reflects a shift from fixed placement and certainty to evaluative usefulness and confidence in human attitudes and empirical findings. First known use in English appears in the early modern period, with recorded uses in philosophical and legal language transitioning into everyday lexicon by the 17th–18th centuries. As science and medicine advanced, “positive” gained traction in clinical and statistical contexts, distinguishing it from merely not negative to signaling affirmative state or beneficial quality.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Positive" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Positive"
-ive sounds
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