Previous is an adjective meaning occurring before in time or order, or existing before the current subject. It is used to refer to something earlier in a sequence or prior to the present moment. In pronunciation, the first syllable bears primary stress and the second syllable reduces, yielding a smooth, clipped ending in connected speech.
US: /ˈpriviəs/ with strong first syllable, reduced /viəs/. UK/AU: often /ˈpriːviəs/ or /ˈpriviəs/; longer first vowel in careful speech, less aggressive reduction in casual speech. Vowel quality: keep /i/ close to 'ee' but short. Rhoticity: rhotics generally not pronounced in non-rhotic UK/AU in final position; you may hear non-rhotic /ˈpriːviəs/ with no /r/ after the first syllable. IPA references help anchor the difference: US /ˈprɪviəs/ or /ˈpriviəs/; UK /ˈpriːviəs/; AU /ˈpriːviəs/.
"In the previous chapter, we discussed the methods before moving to the next topic."
"Her previous job gave her valuable experience for this role."
"You should review the previous data set to spot any inconsistencies."
"The previous owner left several documents that are relevant to the sale."
Previous comes from Middle English previus, from Latin praevius, itself from prae- ‘before’ + via ‘way, road’, conveying the sense of going before or beforehand. The form and meaning evolved through Old French viaus and Anglo-Norman, aligning with the concept of preceding in time or order. The word entered English with senses related to preceding or previous in a sequence, and later extended to describe things prior in time or priority in a given context. The prefix pre- denotes ‘before,’ while the root -vious derives from Latin via, meaning road or path, reinforcing the idea of what goes before along the course of events. The term has been in common usage since Middle English and gained prominence in formal writing by the early modern period, where it served to refer to earlier-mentioned items, prior conditions, or antecedent events. Today, previous remains a staple in both spoken and written English, used across formal, academic, and casual registers to signal temporal precedence or ordering. First known use in English traces to the 14th-15th centuries in contexts describing something that came before in a sequence, and the spelling and pronunciation have since stabilized toward the modern form /ˈpriviəs/ in General American and /ˈpriːviəs/ in some variants with subtle vowel shifts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Previous" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Previous" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Previous"
-ion sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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In standard American English you say /ˈpriviəs/ with primary stress on the first syllable. The vowel in the first syllable is a concise /i/ as in 'see', the second syllable reduces to /ər/ or /iəs/ depending on pace, and the final /əs/ is lightly articulated. In careful speech you might hear /ˈpriːviəs/ where the first vowel lengthens to /iː/. Practice by isolating PRE- and VI- as two beats, then smooth into -ous.
Two frequent errors are misplacing stress (pronouncing as pri-VER-sus) and over-articulating the second syllable. To correct: keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈpriviəs/ and reduce the -vi- syllable quickly into a light /viə/ or /viəs/. Avoid pronouncing 'previous' with two equal stressed syllables. Use a light, quick ending rather than a strong '-ous' syllable. Practice with minimal pairs to hear the contrast against 'previous' vs 'previously' in connected speech.
US English typically /ˈpriviəs/ with strong first-syllable stress and a reduced second syllable. UK English often has a slightly longer vowel in the first syllable, leading to /ˈpriːviəs/ in careful speech, with less aggressive vowel reduction in casual speech. Australian English follows a similar pattern to UK but with subtle vowel lengths and a broader diphthong in some speakers, resulting in /ˈpriːviəs/ or /ˈprɪviəs/ depending on speaker. The main differences are vowel length and the quality of the first vowel and the degree of rhoticity in connected speech.
The difficulty lies in the rapid sequence of a stressed first syllable followed by a reduced second syllable, creating a diphthongal transition that must stay smooth in connected speech. The /i/ in the first syllable must be crisp, while the /viəs/ ending needs to be light and quickly released to avoid sounding like 'pre'+'vious' with a stale pause. Learners often overarticulate the second syllable or misplace stress, which makes the word sound like two separate syllables rather than a fluent unit.
A distinctive feature is the strong onset in the first syllable with the /i/ vowel leading into a very short, almost schwa-like or /ɪ/ second vowel before the /əs/ ending; the tension between the long first-vowel quality and the reduced final is key. In careful speech you’ll hear /ˈpriːviəs/ or /ˈpriviəs/, while natural speech may compress to /ˈprɪviəs/. This balance—crisp first vowel, shortened second syllable, light ending—defines the word’s characteristic rhythm.
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