3 syllables: Te, ther, ing. Stress on Te.
TETH-ur-ing
/ˈtɛðɚɪŋ/
Tethering is pronounced TETH-ur-ing (/ˈtɛðɚɪŋ/). It has three syllables (Te-ther-ing), with the stress on "Te". Tethering is the act of tying or binding something with a rope, chain, or other restraint to limit its movement. In technology contexts, it refers to sharing a device’s internet connection with another device. The term can also describe the process of fastening something to a fixed point for stability or control.
nounTethering is the act of tying or binding something with a rope, chain, or other restraint to limit its movement. In technology contexts, it refers to sharing a device’s internet connection with another device. The term can also describe the process of fastening something to a fixed point for stability or control.
"The dog was tethering to the post while we unpacked the picnic supplies."
"Phone tethering lets you use your smartphone’s data plan to connect a laptop to the internet."
"Farmers use tethering to prevent livestock from wandering into the road."
Tethering is pronounced /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/ in US/UK and /ˈtɛðəɾɪŋ/ in Australian speech. The primary stress is on the first syllable: TET-her-ing. The 'th' is the voiced dental fricative /ð/ as in 'this'. The 'e' in the first syllable is a short /ɛ/ as in 'bed'. The middle vowel is schwa-ish /ə/ in many accents, and the final '-ing' is /ɪŋ/. Ensure the 't' and 'd' are not merged; keep a crisp alveolar stop for /t/ before /h/.
Common mistakes: (1) Slurring the /ð/ into /d/ or /t/, turning it into 'tedering' or 'ted evidence'. (2) Dropping the /ɪŋ/ ending or making it /ɪn/; pronounce the final /ɪŋ/ clearly as 'ing'. (3) Misplacing stress, saying 'teTHER-ing' with secondary stress; keep primary stress on the first syllable. Corrections: practice /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/ by isolating /ð/ with a relaxed tongue between teeth, and end with a crisp /ŋ/ by tapping the soft palate before the velum.
In US/UK, /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/ with a clear /ð/ is standard; US rhotics don’t affect vowel quality here. Australian English often uses a softer /ɾ/ or glottalization in casual speech; you might hear /ˈtɛðəɹɪŋ/ with a rhotacized ending in careful speech. The main variation is vowel length and the possible flap [ɾ] in the 'er' syllable in some casual Australian speech. Maintain /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/ as a solid anchor across accents.
The difficulty comes from the dental fricative /ð/ in the onset and the cluster /ðə/ in the middle, followed by /ɪŋ/ at the end. Learners often substitute /d/ or /t/ for /ð/ or drop the vowel. The simple fix is practice with minimal pairs: (this, these) vs (tether). Emphasize the first syllable; ensure the tip of the tongue rests gently between teeth to create the /ð/ sound, then release into a quick, relaxed /ə/ before /r/.
No letters in 'tethering' are silent. The /t/ is pronounced, the /ð/ is audible, and the syllable boundaries make the 'er' sound clearly heard as /ər/ before the final /ɪŋ/. The word is phonemically /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/. The common trap is to mispronounce /ð/ or to compress the middle syllable; keep a clean schwa and light rhotic or tap depending on accent.
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US: clear /ɫ/ no; US has rhotic r in /ər/; UK: non-rhotic or weak postvocalic r; Australian: flapped or tapped tiles; emphasize rhoticity or lack depending on region. Vowel shifts: /ɛ/ remains central; /ə/ can reduce to a schwa in unstressed syllables. IPA anchors: US /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/, UK /ˈtɛðərɪŋ/, AU /ˈtɛðəɾɪŋ/. Practice with sentences that reflect each variant, focusing on mouth openness and breath control. Use listening drills to capture subtle vowel quality differences.
Tethering derives from the noun tether, meaning a rope or chain by which an animal is fastened. The verb tether emerged in Middle English as tethren, with roots possibly in Old English taethan or akin to tethered in other Germanic languages, reflecting the act of tying or binding. The sense extended to the device of securing by a rope. By the 16th-17th centuries, tethering was used both for animals and for securing objects. In modern usage, the term broadened to include technology: tethering a device for internet sharing, reflecting the metaphor of attaching or binding one device to another via a data link. The term has retained a consistent core meaning—fastening to limit movement or to provide a stable connection—while expanding into technical language as connectivity became central in everyday life.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Tethering" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Tethering" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Tethering"
-ing sounds
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