SET-bak
/ˈsɛˌtbæk/
setback is pronounced SET-bak (/ˈsɛˌtbæk/). Setback refers to an event or situation that delays progress or reverses progress toward a goal. It denotes an obstacle that hinders advancement, often requiring adjustment or renewed effort. In everyday use, it can describe personal, financial, or project-related delays that disrupt expected outcomes.
Setback refers to an event or situation that delays progress or reverses progress toward a goal. It denotes an obstacle that hinders advancement, often requiring adjustment or renewed effort. In everyday use, it can describe personal, financial, or project-related delays that disrupt expected outcomes.
"The project faced a major setback when the supplier canceled the order."
"Despite the setback, she remained determined and adjusted her plan."
"A late funding cut could be a temporary setback rather than a failure."
Say SET-back with the primary stress on SET. The phonemic form is /ˈsɛtˌbæk/ in US and UK English. Your mouth starts with a mid-front vowel /ɛ/ as in “bet,” followed by a crisp /t/ with the tongue at the alveolar ridge, then a clear /b/ and a low open back vowel /æ/ as in “back.” In connected speech, you can lightly reduce the /t/ to a flap in rapid American speech, but for careful enunciation keep a clean /t/. Audio resources: Cambridge/Oxford dictionaries provide native-speaker pronunciation sounds you can compare against.
Common mistakes include pronouncing it as two equal syllables with weak first syllable like /ˈsɛtˈbæk/ or slurring /ˈsɛtbək/ where the /b/ and /æ/ blend. Another pitfall is misplacing emphasis, saying /ˈsɛtbæk/ with heavy first syllable plus no secondary stress. To correct: clearly articulate /ˈsɛt/ first, then release the /b/ with a short but audible /æ/ before /k/. Practice saying SET with a firm tongue tip, then a strong /b/ onset and the short /æ/ vowel before /k/.
In US English, the first syllable bears primary stress and the vowel in SET is lax /ɛ/ with a clear /t/. In UK English, the /t/ can be more aspirated, and listeners may hear a slightly purer /ɛ/ and a more clipped /t/. Australians typically maintain the same stress pattern, but the /a/ in /bæk/ can be a bit more central or open depending on. accent, sometimes sounding like /ˈsɛtˌbæk/. The rhoticity doesn’t affect this word much since it’s not rhotic itself, but vowel quality and the release of /t/ can shift slightly. Compare with native recordings for precise vowel length.
The difficulty lies in the quick consonant cluster between the two syllables: the /t/ followed immediately by /b/ with a short /æ/ vowel. This requires precise tongue-tipple: alveolar stop /t/ then bilabial /b/ before a front lax vowel /æ/. In fast speech, the transition may blur to /ˈsɛtˌbæk/ with a weak boundary; keep the pause and stress strong, and practice clean release between /t/ and /b/. Training with minimal pairs helps solidify the boundary.
setback does not have silent letters; all letters are pronounced in careful speech. The common difficulty is not silent letters but the quick transition from /t/ to /b/ and the potential for flapping in American English, which could soften /t/ to a quick stop that sounds more like a tap. For accuracy, enunciate /t/ and /b/ distinctly, especially in formal speech.
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Setback is a compound of set + back, attested in English from the 16th century in nautical and military contexts where to set back could mean to push back or hinder. The root set traces to Old English settan ‘to place, cause to stand,’ from Proto-Germanic *satjaną, related to Latin stat- ‘to stand.’ Back in this composite sense, setback emerged to describe a reversal of forward motion, often in plans, fortunes, or progress, with early uses in maritime navigation denoting a physical push back from forward direction. Over time, metaphorical usage broadened to include any impediment that halts or delays progress, from business plans to personal ambitions. The semantic shift retained the core idea of a momentary reversal in trajectory rather than a permanent failure, which is reflected in modern phrases like “temporary setback.” First known written uses appear in English texts around the 1500s, with growing prevalence in the 18th and 19th centuries as industrial and project-based language expanded. In contemporary usage, setback consistently conveys a challenge or obstacle that necessitates adaptation, resilience, and renewed effort, rather than a conclusive defeat.
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Words that rhyme with "setback"
-ack sounds
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