STRAW-ngur
/ˈstɹɔŋɚ/
stronger is pronounced STRAW-ngur (/ˈstɹɔŋɚ/). Stronger is the comparative form of strong, describing greater physical force, intensity, or resilience. It is commonly used to compare two subjects or to express increasing degree over time. In pronunciation, the final -er often reduces to a schwa-like or rhotacized ending, affecting rhythm and vowel length.
Stronger is the comparative form of strong, describing greater physical force, intensity, or resilience. It is commonly used to compare two subjects or to express increasing degree over time. In pronunciation, the final -er often reduces to a schwa-like or rhotacized ending, affecting rhythm and vowel length.
"After weeks of training, she felt stronger than before."
"This coffee is stronger than tea and keeps me awake."
"The bridge withstood the storm, but the damper system made it stronger."
StrongER is two syllables with primary stress on STRONG. IPA US: /ˈstrɔŋər/. The first syllable contains a rounded, open-mid back vowel followed by the velar nasal /ŋ/. The second syllable is a reduced /ər/ (rhotic /ɚ/ in General US; may be /ə/ in non-rhotic accents). Tip: keep the /r/ light unless rhotic speech is desired. In careful speech you’ll hear the /ər/ as a schwa + r; in rhotic accents the /ər/ is a reduced syllable with r-coloring. Audio reference: listen for the clear /ˈstrɔŋ-ər/ rhythm and the delay before the schwa.
Common errors: 1) Dropping the /ŋ/ or misplacing it as /n/; keep the velar nasal /ŋ/ before the /k/ sound. 2) Reducing the first syllable too much, producing STR-ər instead of STRONG-ər; preserve the short o quality /ɔ/ in /ˈstrɔŋ/. 3) Over-rolling the /r/ in non-rhotic contexts; in US you should have a soft ending /ɚ/ rather than a heavy, trilled r. Practice by isolating /ɔŋ/ followed by /ər/ with brief pauses.
US: rhotic, /ˈstrɔŋər/ with /ɹ/ in the final syllable; the /ɔ/ is rounded mid-back. UK: non-rhotic or weak /ɪ/ final, often /ˈstrɒŋə/ or /ˈstrɒŋə/ with a shorter /ɔ/ and a less pronounced /r/; AU: rhotic but with a more open /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ depending on speaker, final /ə/ is less pronounced and may be more centralized. The main differences are vowel quality in the first syllable and whether the final /r/ is pronounced. Listen for the first syllable staying close to the open-mid back vowel and the second syllable reduced vowel. IPA anchors: US /ˈstrɔŋər/, UK /ˈstrɒŋə/, AU /ˈstrɔŋə/.
The difficulty comes from two features: the velar nasal /ŋ/ after a rounded, tense initial /str/ cluster and the reduced unstressed final /ər/ that can blur into a schwa. Coordinating a velar nasal with a tight consonant cluster requires precise tongue positioning: raise the back of the tongue to create /ŋ/ without adding a vowel before it, then release into a quick /ər/. In rapid speech, the vowel in the first syllable shortens and the second syllable reduces, which can slow pronunciation if you over-articulate. Focus on crisp /ŋ/ and a clean, brief /ər/.
A unique feature is the two-syllable stress pattern with primary stress on the first syllable: STRONG-er. While there are no silent letters, the second syllable is typically unstressed and reduced to /ər/ (or /ə/ in non-rhotic accents). The sound change involves maintaining the velar nasal /ŋ/ immediately before the final unstressed vowel, which affects the perceived pace and rhythm. Emphasize the /ŋ/ closure and then glide into a soft, barely audible /ər/.
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Stronger derives from the adjective strong, augmented by the comparative suffix -er. Strong comes from Old English stron, styrran in Proto-Germanic, reflecting robust, forceful capacity. The sense of “having power or force” evolved through Proto-Germanic to Old English, mirroring other Germanic roots for power and vitality. The suffix -er emerged as a productive comparative marker in Middle English and Early Modern English, used to form adjectives indicating greater degree (e.g., nearer, longer, brighter). The modern sense—having more strength relative to another subject—became fixed in Early Modern usage, aligning with the broader English pattern of comparative inflection. First known uses appear in Old English texts describing physical strength and prowess, with the compound sense of increasing intensity appearing in later literature and scientific discourse as methods for describing comparative strength in muscles, materials, and forces.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "stronger" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "stronger"
-ger sounds
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