3 syllables: Sub, si, dence. Stress on si.
suhb-SEYE-duhns
/səˈbsaɪdəns/
Subsidence is pronounced suhb-SEYE-duhns (/səˈbsaɪdəns/). It has three syllables (Sub-si-dence), with the stress on "si". Subsidence is the gradual sinking or settling of a surface, typically due to underground movement, pressure release, or erosion. It describes land, buildings, or structures that descend or subside over time, potentially causing damage or changes in alignment. The term is often used in geology, engineering, and construction contexts to denote subsiding ground.
nounSubsidence is the gradual sinking or settling of a surface, typically due to underground movement, pressure release, or erosion. It describes land, buildings, or structures that descend or subside over time, potentially causing damage or changes in alignment. The term is often used in geology, engineering, and construction contexts to denote subsiding ground.
How to Pronounce Subsidence
"The subsidence of the hillside caused cracks to appear in the houses below."
"After the earthquake, subsidence slowed but left the area uneven and cracked."
"Builders monitored subsidence to ensure foundations remained safe."
Subsidence is pronounced sub-SIDE-ence, with the main stress on the second syllable. IPA: US /səbˈsaɪdns/, UK /səbˈsaɪdns/. Start with /səb/ (schwa + b), then /ˈsaɪd/ (rhymes with ride), and end with /ns/ or /ns/ plus a final light /-əns/ vowel depending on speaker. A quick trick: say sub- as in sub, then loud, long ride, followed by -ence. You’ll hear a clear two-beat rise: sub- + SIDE + nce.
Two common errors: 1) Misplacing stress, pronouncing as sub-SID-ence or sub-sun-dence. Correct by stressing SIDE: sub-SIDE-dence, not sub-side-ENCE. 2) Slurring the /saɪ/ diphthong into a simple /i/ or /ɪ/; ensure the glide from /aɪ/ is audible. Also avoid mispronouncing the final -dence as -dense; keep the /d/ and /n/ separate, with a light ending /-ns/.
US and UK share /səbˈsaɪdns/ with rhoticity not affecting subsidence; the primary difference is vowel quality: US tends to a slightly tighter /aɪ/ and faster overall rhythm, UK may be marginally more clipped and precise on the /s/ cluster. Australian speakers often produce a very clear /ɪ/ in unstressed syllables, and may have a lighter /d/ in the -dence sequence, but most speakers maintain /ˈsaɪd/ core. Overall, the /ˈsaɪd/ nucleus remains stable across accents.
The difficulty centers on the /ˈsaɪd/ nucleus and the final /ns/ cluster after a long, stressed syllable. The diphthong /aɪ/ requires an accurate glide from /a/ to /ɪ/, and the sequence /dns/ can blur in fast speech. Additionally, the final -dence creates a light /n/ followed by /s/ or /z/ depending on regional speech, so speakers may mispronounce as /-dns/ or /-dence/. Practice the slow, precise articulation to stabilize the cluster.
A unique feature is the compact two-beat core in English stress patterns: sub-SI-dence has a strong secondary stress on the second syllable with a precise, audible /saɪ/ vowel. Learners often wonder about whether the -ence ending carries a stress or a light ending; here the stress remains on the middle syllable, and the final -ence is unstressed but clearly enunciated as /ns/ + schwa. Focus on the /ˈsaɪd/ nucleus and crisp /ns/ end.
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Subsidence comes from the combination of the Latin sub- meaning 'under' or 'below' and the noun -sidence from the Latin suffix -sidentia, from sedere 'to sit'. The word entered English in the late 18th to early 19th century in technical contexts relating to geology and civil engineering. Sub- indicates below or downward, while -sidence derives from Latin -sidentia, linked to the act of sitting or settling. The term initially described geological settling or ground sinking and gradually broadened to describe subsiding behavior in structures and soils. Early uses appeared in scientific treatises addressing ground movement around mining regions and coastal erosion. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, it became common in geotechnical engineering, housing, and urban planning discourse, where monitoring subsidence is essential for infrastructure safety and land-use decision-making. In modern usage, it may also be used metaphorically to describe a decline or reduction in a measure or level, though technical contexts prefer the literal geological meaning. First known published usages appear in engineering reports and geological surveys from Britain and the United States, marking its establishment as a precise technical term in land dynamics.
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Words that rhyme with "Subsidence"
-nce sounds
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