SUHL-ee
/ˈsʌli/
sully is pronounced SUHL-ee (/ˈsʌli/). Sully is a verb meaning to stain or dirty something, especially by contaminating it with dirt or a defiling influence. It can also describe tarnishing someone’s reputation or a quality by negative actions or reputation-damaging behavior. The term implies causing an undesirable change in appearance or character, often subtly or gradually.
Sully is a verb meaning to stain or dirty something, especially by contaminating it with dirt or a defiling influence. It can also describe tarnishing someone’s reputation or a quality by negative actions or reputation-damaging behavior. The term implies causing an undesirable change in appearance or character, often subtly or gradually.
"The muddy boots sully the freshly polished floor, leaving streaks everywhere."
"Gossip can sully a person's reputation more quickly than facts alone."
"A single careless mistake could sully years of work and trust."
Sully is pronounced as /ˈsʌli/ in UK and US. Start with the 's' sound, then the short 'u' as in 'cup' (not 'you'), followed by a clear 'l' and a light 'ee' vowel at the end. The primary stress falls on the first syllable. Practical tip: keep the tongue low for /ʌ/ and gently release into a crisp /li/ sequence. Audio reference: [IPA guides confirm /ˈsʌli/ in GA and RP].
Common errors include mispronouncing the first vowel as a long /uː/ like in 'suit' or over-articulating the second syllable as /iː/ with undue length. People also occasionally devoice or flatten the /l/ making it sound like 'suli' with a weak l noise. Correct these by using a short, lax /ʌ/ in the first syllable and a crisp, light /l/ followed by a short /i/.
In US and UK accents, the first vowel is a short /ʌ/ sounds, with rhoticity affecting the US pronunciation slightly less noticeable; the UK RP typically uses /ˈsʌli/ with non-rhotic r absent. Australian English often aligns with /ˈsʌli/ but with a slightly broader vowel quality in the /ʌ/ and a shorter, crisp /i/. Across all three, the final /li/ is a clear, light syllable.
The challenge lies in achieving a clean /ʌ/ nucleus in the first syllable and a precise, light /l/ followed by /i/ without tying the two vowels together into a diphthong. Some speakers inadvertently produce /ˈsali/ or substitute /ʊ/ for /ʌ/. Slow down, exaggerate the /ʌ/ only briefly, and ensure the /l/ is alveolar and not retroflex. IPA cues: /ˈsʌli/ across major varieties.
A key nuance is that the second syllable bears a purely lax, clipped /li/ similar to 'Lee' but shorter. Avoid vowel lengthening in /i/ and ensure the /l/ remains light rather than overtly darkened or velarized. This yields a tighter, more natural 'sully' that lands clearly in speech, not as 'sull-ee' or 'sull-ee-uh'.
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Sully traces its origins to the early modern English period, possibly from the French word salir meaning 'to soil' or 'to dirty', itself derived from Latin salire 'to leap' (though the semantic drift to dirty is debated). The current sense of staining or defiling emerged in English through literal contamination, then extended metaphorically to reputational tarnish. The form sully appears in print by the 18th century, with early uses focusing on physical dirt but quickly adopting figurative senses in journalism and literature. By the 19th and 20th centuries, sully became common in legal and political rhetoric to describe tainting or compromising integrity. The word has retained a relatively strong, negative connotation, often paired with actions that degrade status or cleanliness, and it remains a precise option in both formal and informal contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "sully" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "sully"
-lly sounds
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