2 syllables: Syn, drome. Stress on Syn.
SIN-drohm
/ˈsɪnˌdɹoʊm/
Syndrome is pronounced SIN-drohm (/ˈsɪnˌdɹoʊm/). It has two syllables (Syn-drome), with the stress on "Syn". As a noun, a medical term for a set of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a disease or condition. It can be caused by various underlying factors and may lack a single identifiable cause. The word is used across clinical, research, and lay discussions to describe a recognizable pattern of health issues.
nounA medical term for a set of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a disease or condition. It can be caused by various underlying factors and may lack a single identifiable cause. The word is used across clinical, research, and lay discussions to describe a recognizable pattern of health issues.
- Commonly, learners shorten the second syllable too much, making it sound like 'sinn-drome' rather than 'syn-drome'. Ensure the second syllable has a full vowel /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ and a clear /m/ at the end. - Another frequent error is misplacing the stress or softening the first syllable; maintain primary stress on SYN. - Finally, some pronounce with an overt 'r' in non-rhotic accents or an overly rolled 'r' in US; keep a relaxed rhotic posture and let the r be appropriate to your accent. Practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the second syllable vowel and final consonant.
"The patient presented with a rare genetic syndrome."
"Researchers study the syndrome's progression to develop treatments."
"She was diagnosed with a metabolic syndrome involving obesity and insulin resistance."
Pronounce it as SYN-drohm. IPA US: ˈsɪn.droʊm; UK: ˈsɪn.drəʊm; AU mirrors UK, commonly ˈsɪn.droʊm. The first syllable carries primary stress. Start with a short, crisp 'sin' then move to a quiet, rounded 'drome' with a long 'o' vowel in US/AU and a closer 'ə' before the 'm' in some UK varieties. Avoid a hard 'i' in the second syllable and ensure the rhotic 'r' is not overly pronounced in non-rhotic accents.
Two common errors are: 1) Replacing the second syllable with a hard 'drome' as in 'drone' or misplacing vowel to an 'oo' sound; 2) Misplacing primary stress, saying sullied ‘Syn-drome’ with even stress or a weak first syllable. Correction: keep SYN as a short, crisp syllable with /ɪ/ and place stress on the first syllable; for 'drome' use /droʊm/ in US/U, and /drəʊm/ in UK, keeping the final /m clear and not nasalized.
US tends to have /ˈsɪn.droʊm/ with a clear /oʊ/ in the second syllable; UK often uses /ˈsɪn.drəʊm/ with a mid-central vowel /ə/ before the /ʊ/ plus /m sound; Australian follows either, leaning toward /ˈsɪn.droʊm/ in many contexts but may exhibit slight /ə/ in the second syllable. In non-rhotic varieties, the 'r' is not pronounced; the key differences are vowel quality in the second syllable and the strength of the second syllable vowel.
The challenge is the unstressed second element in the second syllable and the /droʊm/ vs /drəʊm/ variation. Speakers often mispronounce as 'syn-drome' with a schwa reduction or overcorrect to a separate 'drone' sound. Focus on the crisp /droʊm/ or /drəʊm/, keeping the first syllable clipped and the final /m/ unobscured. The combination of a closed 'sn' vibe in 'syn' and the rounded, elongated 'drome' makes the transition tricky.
Yes. The word has a pronounced 'd' cluster at the boundary between the two syllables and a long vowel in the second syllable, which can cause a minor stutter or vowel length miscount for non-native speakers. The recommended approach is to isolate the two syllables with a quick micro-pause, then connect: SYN- /drom/. In some UK speakers, the second syllable uses a closer vowel before final /m/, sounding like /drəʊm/ rather than /droʊm/.
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- US: /ˈsɪn.droʊm/. Vibrant second-syllable vowel /oʊ/; keep lips rounded in /oʊ/. - UK: /ˈsɪn.drəʊm/. Often a schwa in the second syllable leading into the /əʊ/. Maintain a shorter first syllable and a rounded, gliding second vowel. - AU: /ˈsɪn.droʊm/ is common, but you may hear /ˈsɪn.drəʊm/ similar to UK; non-rhotic tendencies reduce post-vocalic r sounds. - Mouth positions: for /s/ and /ɪ/ keep front tongue high; for /n/ alveolar; for /d/ alveolar stop; for /roʊm/ or /rəʊm/ round lips, jaw relaxed, final /m/ with closed lips. - IPA references: US /ˈsɪn.droʊm/, UK /ˈsɪn.drəʊm/, AU /ˈsɪn.droʊm/.
Syndrome comes from the Greek sun dróma, from sun- (‘together’) and rhóma (‘running’, thing that runs or a flowing). The term entered medical vocabulary in the 16th-17th centuries from Latinized forms such as syndroma, used by Galen and later physicians to describe a collection of symptoms that occur together as a unit. The concept evolved from generic, name-driven descriptions of clusters of signs to a formal, nosological label for characteristic presentations. Over time, syndromes were defined by pattern recognition rather than a single cause, leading to eponymous syndromes (e.g., Down syndrome) and syndrome-based diagnostic criteria. In modern usage, a syndrome may be genetic, environmental, infectious, or multifactorial, but the unifying feature remains a recognizable cluster of clinical features that define a syndrome as a discrete entity.
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Words that rhyme with "Syndrome"
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