sik-STEENTH
/sɪkˈstinθ/
sixteenth is pronounced sik-STEENTH (/sɪkˈstinθ/). Sixteenth is the ordinal form of sixteen, used to denote the position after fifteenth. In pronunciation, it is typically stressed on the first syllable with a short i and a clear final -th sound. The word combines the numeral root sixteen with the ordinal suffix -th, and its pronunciation involves a consonant cluster in the middle and a voiceless dental fricative at the end. Overall, it is a compact, multisyllabic word common in technical, mathematical, and musical contexts.
Sixteenth is the ordinal form of sixteen, used to denote the position after fifteenth. In pronunciation, it is typically stressed on the first syllable with a short i and a clear final -th sound. The word combines the numeral root sixteen with the ordinal suffix -th, and its pronunciation involves a consonant cluster in the middle and a voiceless dental fricative at the end. Overall, it is a compact, multisyllabic word common in technical, mathematical, and musical contexts.
- Common Mistakes • You may merge six- and teenth too quickly, producing /ˈsɪks.tin/ instead of /ˈsɪk.stiːnθ/. Slow the transition between /k/ and /s/; keep the /t/ release clean before the /iː/ and avoid a nasal or glottal stop that hides the final /θ/. • Final /θ/ confusion: many learners voice /θ/ as /ð/ or replace with /f/ or /s/. Practice voiceless dental fricative by touching the tip of the tongue to the upper teeth and expelling air, no vocal fold vibration. • Vowel length and quality: ensure the /iː/ is long and tense, not a short /i/; avoid reducing /iː/ to /ɪ/. Use a steady tempo and crisp syllable boundary between /k/ and /stiːnθ/.
"The sixthteenth note is often misread; here we must distinguish the rhythm clearly."
"In the sixteenth century, many printers experimented with new typefaces."
"She paused at the sixteenth mile marker, catching her breath before the final sprint."
Say it as /ˈsɪk.stiːnθ/. Begin with the stressed /ˈsɪk/ (short i as in 'sit'), then a clear /stiːn/ with the long e vowel in 'sixteen' and finally the voiceless dental /θ/ as in 'think.' In careful speech, keep the two syllables distinct: /ˈsɪk/ + /stiːnθ/. Audio references like Cambridge Dictionary or Forvo can model the crisp /θ/.
Common errors: (1) merging the syllables into /ˈsɪks.tɪn/ losing the long /iː/ ; (2) substituting a /f/ or /s/ for the final /θ/ or making it voiced /ð/; (3) flattening the /k/ into a weak release. Correct by: keeping /ˈsɪk/ as a strong onset, lengthening the /iː/ in the second syllable, and placing a crisp, voiceless /θ/ at the end with tongue tip touching upper teeth and airflow continuing. Practice with minimal pairs like ‘sixteen’ vs. ‘sixth’ to feel the contrast.
US/UK/AU share /ˈsɪk.stiːnθ/ roughly, but rhoticity affects surrounding vowels in connected speech; the second syllable sounds may be slightly longer in US due to rhythm, while UK speakers may enforce a more clipped /stiːn/ and a crisper /θ/; Australian speech tends to be less rhotic with slight vowel quality shifts (more centralized vowel in /iː/). In all, keep the final /θ/ voiceless and precise across accents.
Two main challenges are (1) the lengthened /iː/ in the middle syllable creating a subtle diphthong cue, and (2) the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ at the end, which many learners struggle to produce cleanly. Also, the fast-scansion in rapid speech can blur the boundary between /k/ and /t/ leading to a weak release. Focus on isolating the /stiːnθ/ portion and practicing slow, deliberate stops before the final fricative.
Yes. The sequence 'sixteen' provides the long /iː/ in the second syllable, and the final 'th' forms a dental fricative /θ/. The cluster /kst/ before the /iː/ also demands careful articulation: the /k/ releases into /s/ before /t/ with the tongue curling slightly to position for /θ/. Maintaining a distinct /t/ release before /iː/ helps avoid a monosyllabic blend.
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- US: Generally rhotic, but 'sixteenth' itself does not rely on rhoticity; you’ll hear a longer, clearer /iː/ and a robust /θ/. - UK: Slightly crisper /θ/, possibly shorter /iː/ due to brisk British pronunciation; could have denser vowel reduction in fast speech. - AU: Similar to US with slightly more centralized vowels; final /θ/ remains voiceless but can be softer in casual speech. IPA: US/UK/AU – /ˈsɪk.stiːnθ/. Focus on the tongue tip at the teeth for /θ/, and a controlled release into /n/ before the final /θ/.
Sixteenth derives from Old French sixte, from Latin sextus meaning 'sixth', with the English ordinal suffix -th appended. The form evolved through Middle English as sixteenth, reflecting the numeric base six and the ordinal ending. It shares its root with six and sixth, tracing back to Latin sextus and Proto-Italic sextus, ultimately from the Indo-European root *sek- meaning 'to cut or divide', a semantic thread that contributed to the numeral-system terminology. The earliest attestations in English appear in the late Middle English period as a standard ordinal numeral, often in mathematical and calendrical texts, with the pronunciation stabilizing toward a reduplication of the -teen/-th pattern that characterizes many English ordinals. The word’s sound structure—/ˈsɪkˌstiːnθ/ in many dialects—reflects the fusion of the unsettled mid syllable and the dental fricative final sound, which underwent little sound change after Middle English, preserving its recognizable form into modern usage.
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Words that rhyme with "sixteenth"
-gth sounds
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