3 syllables: Te, di, ous. Stress on Te.
TEE-dee-uhs
/ˈtidiəs/
Tedious is pronounced TEE-dee-uhs (/ˈtidiəs/). It has three syllables (Te-di-ous), with the stress on "Te". Tedious means something that is long, repetitive, and tiresome, causing weariness or boredom. It describes tasks or experiences that require prolonged attention with little variation or interest, making time feel slow. The term often conveys a sense of dull, monotonous effort rather than challenging complexity.
adjectiveTedious means something that is long, repetitive, and tiresome, causing weariness or boredom. It describes tasks or experiences that require prolonged attention with little variation or interest, making time feel slow. The term often conveys a sense of dull, monotonous effort rather than challenging complexity.
- You often default to a quick, flat first syllable; ensure the first syllable is a relaxed schwa or short /ə/ to lead into the stressed /ˈdiː/. - The second syllable must carry the long /iː/; avoid shortening to /ɪ/ or a reduced vowel. Practice with minimal pairs like /təˈdiː.əs/ vs /təˈdɪ.əs/. - The final /əs/ should be weak and quick; avoid an overt /z/ or strong sibilant. Keep the ending light and short. - Misplacement of stress (te-DI-ous vs te-di-ous); ensure the strong beat sits on the second syllable for natural rhythm.
Focus on: vowel length, syllable stress, and final syllable reduction. To correct: slow the tempo, practice with a 4-beat count, exaggerate the second syllable then gradually normalize. Record and compare with dictionary audio. Use minimal pairs and shadowing to fix the common mispronunciations.
How to Pronounce Tedious
"The lecture was so tedious that several students nodded off."
"She found the paperwork tedious, but she completed it carefully."
"Listening to the same playlist all day felt tedious after the fifth repetition."
You pronounce it tuh-DEE-uhs, with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US /təˈdiː.əs/; UK /təˈdiː.əs/. Start with a light schwa before the stressed /diː/ vowel, then a rapid /əs/ ending. Keep the /d/ crisp but not overly released, and ensure the /iː/ is long. You can reference audio examples from dictionaries or pronunciation guides to feel the rhythm.
Two common errors are misplacing the stress (saying te-DI-ous or te-DEE-us) and shortening the /iː/ to a short /ɪ/ sound. Another pitfall is collapsing the final /əs/ to /s/, leaving an incomplete ending. Correct by maintaining the long /iː/ in the stressed syllable and pronouncing the final /əs/ with a relaxed, nearly whispered /əs/ sound. Practice with minimal pairs and slowed tempo to fix these habits.
In US/UK/AU, the primary stress remains on the second syllable /ˈdiː.əs/. The main difference is vowel quality: US tends to have a slightly more pronounced /ə/ in the first syllable and a clearer /ːiː/ in the second; UK tends to be marginally tighter with a clipped first vowel and slightly longer second vowel; AU follows a near-identical pattern to UK but with a softer /ə/ in the first syllable due to broader non-rhotic tendencies and a tendency toward /ˈdiː.əs/ with less R-coloring.
The challenge lies in balancing syllable-timed rhythm: the main stress is on the second syllable /ˈdiː/ and the final /əs/ must be light and quick, which can be easy to swallow. The long /iː/ requires precise length, and the trailing /əs/ should remain soft rather than becoming /əz/ or /əs/ with extra voicing. Lip tension and jaw height must adjust between a spread to a narrow vowel shape for /iː/ and a relaxed ending.
There are no silent letters in tedious. The word has a distinct secondary syllable pattern te-DI-ous, with the primary stress on the second syllable. The 'di' cluster carries the vowel length, and the 'ous' ending contributes the lighter, unstressed final syllable. The difficulty is maintaining the long /iː/ vowel sound while transitioning into the soft ending /əs/ without an extra vowel, which is a common search query for this word.
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- US: emphasize the second syllable with a clear /ˈdiː/ and a relatively neutral /ə/ in the first syllable; final /əs/ remains light. IPA: /təˈdiː.əs/. - UK: similar stress, but the first vowel in /tə/ may be slightly more centralized and /ə/ may sound closer to a schwa; keep final /əs/ soft. - AU: tends to have a slightly laxer /ə/ in the first syllable and a smoother, more elongated /iː/; final /əs/ remains unstressed and quick. Across all, rhoticity is minimal, and the r-coloring is not present in non-rhotic Australian and British varieties.
Tedious traces to the Latin word taediosus, meaning 'causing weariness' from taedium, meaning weariness or aversion. The root taedeo, taedēre, conveyed the burden of loathing or tediousness. In Middle French, the term taedieux evolved into taudieu and taudieux, then entering English as tedious by the 15th century, connoting wearisome tasks and elongated routines. The semantic shift emphasizes fatigue from duration rather than difficulty or complexity. Over time, English usage broadened to describe any matter that is tiresomely long or monotonous, including lectures, paperwork, and routines. In contemporary usage, tedious carries a slightly negative register, often paired with adjectives like unbearably, extremely, or incredibly to intensify the sense of dullness. The word remains common in academic, bureaucratic, and everyday contexts where duration and repetitiveness define the experience.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Tedious" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Tedious" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Tedious"
-ous sounds
-me) sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
