STER-oydz
/ˈstɛɹɔɪdz/
steroids is pronounced STER-oydz (/ˈstɛɹɔɪdz/). Steroids are organic compounds with a characteristic arrangement of four fused rings, often used as hormones or medication. In everyday language, 'steroids' refers to synthetic or naturally occurring steroid hormones, sometimes implicated in performance enhancement. The term also appears in pharmacology and biology to describe a broad class of related lipophilic compounds with diverse biological roles.
Steroids are organic compounds with a characteristic arrangement of four fused rings, often used as hormones or medication. In everyday language, 'steroids' refers to synthetic or naturally occurring steroid hormones, sometimes implicated in performance enhancement. The term also appears in pharmacology and biology to describe a broad class of related lipophilic compounds with diverse biological roles.
- Misplacing primary stress on the second syllable: many learners emphasize on the -roid syllable; correct by maintaining primary stress on the first syllable: STEER-oids. - Merging /ɪə/ into a simple /ɪ/ or /i/ making STEER-oys; keep the /ɪə/ sequence before /ɔɪ/. - Dropping the final /dz/ or turning it into /z/; ensure you distinctly end with /dz/ to reflect the voiced affricate. - Overly smoothing the r: in non-rhotic accents, r-coloring may be reduced; practice with slight but present rhoticity in US/AU and vary less in UK. - Speed vs clarity trade-off: fast speech often erases the subtle vowel transitions; practice slowly, then speed up while keeping articulation.
"The athlete faced suspensions after testing positive for anabolic steroids."
"Researchers study steroid hormones like cortisol and testosterone to understand stress and development."
"Some steroids are prescribed to treat inflammation, while others are misused for performance enhancement."
Pronounce as /ˈstɪərɔɪdz/ (US) or /ˈstɪəˌrɔɪdz/ (UK). The word has early stress on the first syllable: STEER-oydz, with a secondary close to the end. Start with a strong 'st' consonant cluster, then a syllabic 'iə' vowel, ending with 'roydz' where the 'r' and 'oi' combine before the final 'dz' sound. Mouth positions: tongue high-mid for /ɪə/ or /ɪə/, lips neutral to slightly spread, and a voiced alveolar affricate at the end /dz/.
Two frequent errors: (1) Flattening the /ɪə/ into a pure /ɪ/ or /i/ leading to STEER-oys instead of STEER-oydz; (2) misplacing the final /dz/ as a /z/ or dropping the 'r' before /ɔɪ/ in non-rhotic accents. Correction: keep the /ɪə/ sequence, then glide into /ɔɪ/ before the final voiced /dz/. Practice with a slow chain: /ˈstɪə/ + /ɔɪ/ + /dz/, ensuring the /r/ is pronounced as a rhotic alveolar approximant in rhotic accents.
US tends to pronounce /ˈstɪəroɪdz/ with a more pronounced /ɹ/ after the vowel cluster and a strong /dz/ end. UK often uses /ˈstɪəˌrɔɪdz/ with a lighter /r/ or non-rhoticity depending on region, producing a clearer diphthong before the final consonant. Australian typically aligns with US pronunciation but may reduce the /r/ and slightly alter vowel quality, resulting in /ˈstɪəˌɹɔɪdz/ or /ˈstɪəˌɹɔɪdz/; dialects vary widely within Australia.
The difficulty lies in sequencing two consecutive diphthongs and a final voiceless-voiced consonant cluster: /ɪə/ followed by /ɔɪ/ and ending with /dz/. The folded /r/ in US and AU accents must be articulated without breaking the glide, while non-rhotic UK speech can reduce the r-like quality. Also, the initial /st/ cluster and the secondary stress require precise timing, so practicing the transition between /ɪə/ and /ɔɪ/ helps prevent vowel collapse.
A distinctive feature is the mid-voice onset for the /ɔɪ/ diphthong following /ɪə/. In careful speech you’ll hear a subtle pause or a sharper transition before /ɔɪ/ in some speakers, especially before a final /dz/. Being mindful of the mid-diphthong shift and maintaining a consistent /r/ coloring in rhotic accents will improve accuracy.
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- US: emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ and robust /dz/ at the end; keep /ɪə/ as a diphthong before /ɔɪ/. - UK: often non-rhotic; focus on a strong /ɪə/ then crisp /ɔɪ/ and final /dz/ with less rhotic coloring; the /r/ may be silent in some speech. - AU: rhotic, similar to US; may have slightly broader vowel qualities; ensure /ɹ/ is articulated and not elided. - IPA anchors: /ˈstɪəˌrɔɪdz/ (UK) vs /ˈstɪərɔɪdz/ (US/UW influence). - Common pitfalls: weak final /dz/, excessive vowel reduction, or over-smoothing the diphthongs.
The word steroid derives from the combination of 'stereos' (solid) and the chemical suffix '-oid' (resembling). The term entered scientific use in the late 19th to early 20th century as chemists began classifying compounds with the characteristic four-ring structure known as the cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene system. Early researchers highlighted their resemblance to cholesterol in structure, which organized subsequent work on corticosteroids and sex steroids. The first explicit references to steroids in a biological context appeared in German and English scientific literature during the 1920s–1930s, coinciding with advances in steroidogenesis and biosynthesis. The term became widespread through endocrinology, pharmacology, and sports science as synthetic derivatives (e.g., anabolic steroids) rose in use. Over time, the meaning narrowed in common usage to refer to hormone-like drugs used medically or illicitly for performance enhancement, while in chemistry it still denotes a broad family of related cyclic lipids and sterols with similar scaffolds.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "steroids" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "steroids" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "steroids"
-oid sounds
-loy sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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