Significance refers to the importance or meaning of something, indicating why it matters or its impact within a given context. It is often used to justify decisions, actions, or interpretations by highlighting consequences, implications, or value beyond surface appearance. In academic or analytical language, significance frames relevance and potential influence for readers or researchers.
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Tip: practice breakdown: sig- / sɪg/; ni- /nɪ/; FI- /fi/; -cance /kəns/. Say each part slowly, then blend. Record yourself to compare with a native reference, adjusting lip/tongue positions for accuracy.
"The significance of the study lies in its potential to inform policy changes."
"Her testimony added significance to the witness’s account, supporting the core claims."
"We discussed the significance of early warning signs in predicting outcomes."
"The signification of the term was clarified to ensure precise interpretation."
Significance comes from the Late Latin significans, significāre, meaning “to indicate, symbolize.” Significans is the present participle of significāre, formed from signum (mark or sign) + -ficāre (to make). The English noun significance appears in the 15th-16th centuries, initially in philosophy and rhetoric to denote the capacity to signify or convey meaning. Over time, its use broadened to include statistical and mathematical contexts, where “significance” expresses a measure’s reliability or importance beyond chance. The term evolved through scholarly discourse to denote not just mental or semantic importance but practical impact in research, decision-making, and social discourse. First known usages appear in Latin texts and later in English scholarship, where significance became a standard term in exams, experiments, and logic to articulate the weight or consequence of a finding or assertion.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "significance" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "significance"
-nce sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Significance is pronounced /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/. The syllable stress falls on the third syllable: sig-ni-FI-cance. The initial /sɪɡ/ begins with a short i as in sit, followed by /ɡ/ as in go. The middle /ˈnɪf/ uses a short i and a clear /f/; the final /kəns/ blends with a mild schwa before the final /n/; keep the final /s/ crisp. If you’re unsure, practice with the phrase ‘the significance of ...’ to feel the stress on FI. IPA reference: US: /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/; UK/AU are similar: /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/.”,
Common mistakes include misplacing stress (placing emphasis on the first or second syllable), softening the /t/ to a tap or a glottal stop, and rushing the final -ance so it sounds like -ence. To correct: keep primary stress on FI, pronounce /t/ clearly after /fi/, and end with /kəns/ with a crisp /s/. Practicing with the phrase ‘sig-ni-FI-cance of the study’ helps reinforce the correct stress and rhythm.
Across accents, the pronunciation remains largely the same, but vowel qualities shift slightly. In US and UK, the /ɪ/ in the first and second syllables remains short; some UK speakers may have a crisper /sɪɡˈnɪfɪkəns/ with slightly tensed vowels. Australian speech tends to be more centralized in some vowels, but the overall rhythm (sig-ni-FI-cance) and final /s/ are consistent. The main differences are vowel length and subtle diphthongization, not the core consonants.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic structure with three strong syllables and a final cluster /kəns/. You must coordinate the /ɡ/ release, the /n/ onset of the middle syllable, and the /f/ followed by /ɪ/ in the third syllable, then the /k/ onset of the last segment. The sequence sig-ni-FI-cance requires precise stress placement and steady tongue movement to avoid slurring. Practice slow, then speed up while keeping the consonants clear.
A distinctive feature is the strong tri-syllabic rhythm with a clear primary stress on FI, which can make the early syllables seem quicker if you’re not careful. Also, the final syllable cluster /kəns/ can bleed into a tired -s sound in connected speech. You’ll benefit from practicing the two-link rhythm (sig-ni-FI-cance) with a slight pause before the final consonant to maintain clarity and keep the final /s/ audible.
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