STRAWNG-lee
/ˈstɹɔŋli/
strongly is pronounced STRAWNG-lee (/ˈstɹɔŋli/). Strongly is an adverb meaning to a great extent or with strong emphasis. It modifies verbs or adjectives to convey intensity or conviction. The term often appears in formal, analytical, or persuasive contexts and tends to be placed near the verb or clause it emphasizes to convey force or certainty.
Strongly is an adverb meaning to a great extent or with strong emphasis. It modifies verbs or adjectives to convey intensity or conviction. The term often appears in formal, analytical, or persuasive contexts and tends to be placed near the verb or clause it emphasizes to convey force or certainty.
- Commonly you might over-emphasize the -ly ending, sounding like STRONG-LEE; keep the -ly light and quick, not fully enunciated. - Some learners insert an extra vowel between /ŋ/ and /l/ (STRONG-uh-lee); instead, maintain a tight /ŋl/ cluster and move straight into /i/. - A frequent slip is misplacing the primary stress on the second syllable in rapid speech; remember STRONG- is the first, with a strong initial syllable emphasis. - Don’t collapse the cluster: /ŋl/ should flow, not produce a fully aspirated or aspirated ending. Practice breath control to avoid breaking rhythm.
"She argued strongly against the proposal."
"Investors are strongly urged to review the terms carefully."
"The team disagreed strongly with the decision."
The standard pronunciation is /ˈstrɒŋ.li/ in UK English or /ˈstrɔːŋ.ɡli/ in some American dialects; however, the most common US form is /ˈstrɔːŋ.li/. Place primary stress on the first syllable STRONG-, then pronounce the -ly as a light, quick -li. The middle consonant cluster /ŋl/ presses the tongue back to the roof of the mouth for a smooth transition to /li/. Keep the /ŋ/ sound as a voiced velar nasal and avoid separating syllables. Practicing by saying STRONG-ly with a brief, almost imperceptible pause between the two parts helps keep the rhythm.
Common errors include replacing the -ly with a full syllable like -lee (STRONG-lee) or inserting an extra vowel between -ng and -ly (STRONG-uh-lee). Some speakers insert a trailing /ɪ/ or mispronounce the /ŋ/ as /ŋk/. Correct approach: end the first syllable with the velar nasal /ŋ/ immediately followed by the light /li/; keep the cluster /ŋl/ tight and avoid adding an extra vowel between /ŋ/ and /l/. Ensure the initial stress is clearly on STRONG, not an even distribution across syllables.
In US accents, you’ll often hear /ˈstrɔːŋ.li/ with a broad, rhotic vowel in the first syllable. UK English tends to use /ˈstrɒŋ.li/ or /ˈstrɔːŋ.li/ with a shorter /ɒ/ or rounded /ɔː/ depending on speaker and region; the -li remains light. Australian English typically aligns closer to UK with /ˈstrɒŋ.li/ or /ˈstrɔːŋ.li/ but with Australian vowel quality: a more centralized /ɒ/ and a raised /ɪ/ in some speakers. Across all, the /ŋl/ cluster remains intact; the key variation is the vowel quality in the first syllable and the degree of rhoticity, which affects the vowel color preceding the consonants.
The difficulty lies in the tight /ŋl/ consonant cluster transitioning to a high front-closed vowel in the second syllable and keeping the -ly light and unstressed. The /ŋ/ and /l/ must share the same tongue body without an intervening vowel, which can create a ‘slip’ if the /l/ is pronounced too forcefully. Additionally, maintaining consistent stress on the first syllable while not over-aspirating the 'tr' onset can be tricky for non-native speakers who are not used to the fast pace of English adverbs with -ly endings.
A unique aspect is the rapid, almost unsegmented /ŋli/ transition where the tongue quickly moves from the velar nasal /ŋ/ to the palatalized light /li/ with minimal vowel duration. This yields a smooth, almost gliding effect between the syllables. Practicing with a short breath after STRONG before saying -ly can help achieve a natural, fluent rhythm without breaking the word apart. Focus on keeping your jaw relaxed and letting the /ŋ/ contact the soft palate, then slide into /li/.
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- US: Stress on STRONG, then a short, sharp /li/; keep /ɔ/ or /ɔː/ quality before /ŋl/; rhoticity does not alter the word itself but can affect the following vowel in connected speech. - UK: Shorter vowel in STRONG (often /ɒ/), maintain light, quick -ly; non-rhotic patterns may influence the following vowels in connected phrases. - AU: Similar to UK, more centralized /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ with a notably light -ly; watch vowel length and keep chin降低 slightly to reduce mouth tension, facilitating /ŋl/ transition. - IPA references: US /ˈstrɔːŋ.li/, UK /ˈstrɒŋ.li/ or /ˈstrɔːŋ.li/, AU /ˈstrɒŋ.li/. Focus on keeping the first syllable stable and the second syllable short. - General tip: keep the entire word at a steady tempo, avoid over-articulating the -ly, and feel the transition from velar to alveolar release quickly.
Strongly derives from the adverb strong, formed from Old English strong, which traces to Proto-Germanic *starkaz, from PIE *sterk- meaning 'powerful, stiff, strong.' The suffix -ly to form an adverb emerged in Middle English as a common way to turn adjectives into adverbs, aligning with other -ly adverbs like quickly, brightly. The sense of intensity or vigor in describing action—doing something with force, emphasis, or firm commitment—emerged as the word shifted from literal physical strength to figurative strength of argument, resolve, or influence. Early attestations show use in the 15th–16th centuries in both literary and legal contexts, evolving with more nuanced adverbial intensifiers in modern English. Over time, strongly has maintained a stable role as a high-intensity adverb, often paired with verbs of speech, movement, or decision, and used widely in formal writing and rhetoric. In contemporary usage, it can also imply moral or ethical conviction, as in strongly considering the consequences or strongly supporting a policy. The word is firmly entrenched in English morphology, with the -ly suffix indicating adverbial function while the stem strong carries the core semantic weight of force or intensity.
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Words that rhyme with "strongly"
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