TEYE-ur-suhm
/ˈtaɪɚsəm/
tiresome is pronounced TEYE-ur-suhm (/ˈtaɪɚsəm/). Tiresome describes something that causes fatigue or annoyance; it is wearisome in effect, monotonous, or tedious. It often refers to tasks, processes, or situations that demand sustained attention or effort, leading to mental or physical fatigue. The term conveys a sense of dreariness or irritability due to repetition or lack of novelty.
Tiresome describes something that causes fatigue or annoyance; it is wearisome in effect, monotonous, or tedious. It often refers to tasks, processes, or situations that demand sustained attention or effort, leading to mental or physical fatigue. The term conveys a sense of dreariness or irritability due to repetition or lack of novelty.
"The meeting wore on, and the speaker’s repetitive slides became tiresome."
"Her long-winded explanations proved tiresome to the audience after the third example."
"The tiresome chore of cleaning gutters had to be done again after the storm."
Break it as TI-er-some. IPA: US ˈtaɪ.ɚˌsʌm, UK ˈtaɪ.əˌsɒm. Start with a stressed, long 'tie' sound /taɪ/ followed by a rhotacized schwa in American English /ɚ/ or a reduced schwa /ə/ in UK English, then a clear /s/ before /ʌm/ or /ɒm/. Keep the second syllable light but distinct, and avoid blending too tightly with the final /m/ to preserve the two-syllable rhythm.
Common mistakes include reducing the first syllable to a quick /taɪ/ without the following rhotacized vowel in American speech, producing TI-some with a missing /ɚ/ (or /ə/), and slurring the /s/ into the following /m/. Another frequent error is misplacing stress, saying taɪˈrɛsom or taɪəˈsɔːm instead of the expected TI-ersome rhythm. To correct, practice the full three-part sequence TI-ər-some, ensuring the middle syllable carries the primary vowel and a distinct /s/ onset.
In US English, you typically hear stress on the first syllable with a rhotacized vowel in the second: /ˈtaɪɚˌsʌm/. UK English favors a non-rhotic variant with a schwa or a reduced /ə/ in the middle: /ˈtaɪəˌsɒm/. Australian English aligns closer to US in rhoticity, often with a clearer /ɜː/ or /ə/ in the middle depending on speaker and context: /ˈtaɪəˌsɒm/ or /ˈtaɪɚˌsʌm/. The main differences are rhoticity and the vowel quality of the middle syllable, plus slight vowel length differences in fast speech.
The difficulty lies in the middle syllable: the combination of a vowel that can be reduced (ə/ɚ) with an /r/ or rhotacized vowel in US English, plus maintaining distinct /s/ onset before a rounded vowel in rapid speech. Many speakers also tend to fuse /ɚ/ or /ə/ into a lighter schwa, which softens the middle and blurs syllable boundaries. Practice the three-part flow TI-ər-some with clear articulation of /r/ or /ɹ/ depending on accent.
A useful, unique angle is whether the middle vowel is treated as /ɚ/ (r-colored) in American English or as a simple /ə/ in non-rhotic varieties. This affects the perceived rhythm: American speakers often carry a short, rounded or r-colored vowel in the middle, which can blur slightly with the /r/ sound, while UK/GA patterns tend toward a non-rhotic middle /ə/ or /ɒ/ depending on region. Recognize your own pattern by recording and comparing to a native model.
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Tiresome comes from the noun tire (as in fatigue) plus the suffix -some, forming an adjective meaning ‘capable of causing tiredness or fatigue’. The sense developed in Middle English as ‘fatiguing, wearying’ from the broader notion of tiresome labor or effort. The root originates from Latin tediōsus via Old French tediouse, itself deriving from Latin taediosus, meaning ‘to weary, make tired’, with taedium meaning ‘weariness, tediousness’. The modern spelling and pronunciation align with the characteristic English -someness suffix that converts nouns or adjectives into an attributive quality (e.g., tiresomeness, readiness). The term has long carried the nuance of monotony and irritating repetition, typically used for tasks, conversations, or experiences that drain energy more than they thrill. First known usages in English literature trace tiresome to the late medieval/early modern period, with increasingly common usage in 16th–18th centuries as English vocabulary expanded to describe fatigue-inducing activities in both social and labor contexts. Over time, tiresome broadened from a generally physical fatigue sense to a more mental or emotional fatigue, often connected to repetition, length, or lack of variety. In contemporary English, tiresome remains a precise descriptor of dreary, laborious, or irritating experiences that exhaust attention and patience.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "tiresome" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "tiresome"
-ome sounds
-mes sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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