uhn-BER-uh-buhl
/əˈnbɛɹəbəl/
unbearable is pronounced uhn-BER-uh-buhl (/əˈnbɛɹəbəl/). Unbearable describes something so difficult or painful that it cannot be endured. It conveys extreme levels of discomfort, severity, or annoyance, often prompting urgent action or relief.
Unbearable describes something so difficult or painful that it cannot be endured. It conveys extreme levels of discomfort, severity, or annoyance, often prompting urgent action or relief.
- You might flatten the BEAR diphthong to a pure /eː/ or /eɪ/, making it sound flat; focus on the precise /eə/ glide and then a hard /r/ in rhotic accents. - You may under-articulate the final -ble; ensure a light but audible /bəl/ with a short schwa before /l/ to avoid truncation. - Stress drift: placing primary stress on the first syllable or misplacing it on the second; keep secondary stress on BEAR and a crisp -able ending.
"The heat in the desert was unbearable by midday."
"Her grief after the loss was almost unbearable."
"The noise from the construction site made study sessions unbearable."
Pronounce as /ʌnˈbeərəbəl/ (US) or /ənˈbeə.rə.bəl/ (UK). Stress falls on the second syllable: un-BEAR-a-ble. Start with /ʌ/ (like 'uh'), move to /n/ then the diphthong /eə/ in BEAR, followed by /r/ and the schwa /ə/ before /bəl/. Mouth positions: open jaw for /ʌ/, lips relaxed; for /eə/ slight jaw drop and mid-tongue height; final /əl/ light schwa with a soft, quick 'l' release. Listen to native pronunciation at Forvo or Pronounce and mimic the rhythm.
Common errors: placing the stress on the first syllable (un-BEAR-able). Incorrectly reducing /ə/ to a full vowel in the second syllable, producing /ənˈbiːrə.bəl/. Another mistake is eliding the /r/ in non-rhotic accents or mispronouncing /eə/ as /ɛə/. Correct by: keeping the secondary stress clear and shaping /eə/ as a precise diphthong; ensure /r/ is pronounced in rhotic accents; maintain a short, light final /əl/.” ,
US: rhotic /r/ pronounced; /ʌnˈbeərəbəl/ with clear /r/; UK: non-rhotic after vowels; /ənˈbeə.rə.bəl/ and some speakers link the /ə/ to adjacent vowels; AU: typically non-rhotic with Australian vowel qualities; /ənˈbeːrəbl̩/; diphthongs may be broader. Emphasis remains on the second syllable; vowels may cluster toward closer or more open qualities depending on region. IPA references help: US /ʌnˈbeərəbəl/, UK /ənˈbeə.rə.bəl/, AU /ənˈbeːrəbl̩/.
Key challenges: the diphthong in BEAR (/eər/) can be unstable for non-native speakers; coordinating /n/ with the following vowel cluster; final -ble ending with /əl/ can be light and quick, causing truncation. Additionally, maintaining secondary stress clarity on BEAR while not reducing the first syllable too much requires precise vowel height and tongue position. Practice with slowed, deliberate articulation and IPA-focused guidance to stabilize each part.
A unique aspect is the delicate balance of the /eə/ diphthong and the following /r/ in rhotic vs non-rhotic dialects. In US English, you’ll hear a distinct rhotic /r/ between BEAR and the following vowel, while in UK English, the /r/ may be less pronounced in non-rhotic styles, affecting flow between syllables. Practicing the transition from /beər/ to /rə/ helps maintain natural rhythm and prevents a clipped ending.
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- US: keep rhotic /r/; diphthong /eər/ relatively full and rounded; final /əl/ is light with a soft l. - UK: non-rhotic influence may reduce the /r/; /eə/ tends to be broader; ensure clear separation before /r/ in connected speech. - AU: similar to UK but vowel qualities may be more centralized; maintain the /r/ not heavily rolled; keep the final /l/ dark or light depending on speaker. IPA references: /ʌnˈbeərəbəl/, /ənˈbeə.rə.bəl/, /ənˈbeːrəbl̩/.
Unbearable is formed from the prefix un- meaning 'not' + bearable, which itself comes from Old French barable and Latin tolerabilis, from tolerare 'to bear, endure'. In Middle English, bearable existed to describe something that could be endured; the prefix un- shifted the meaning to its opposite by the 17th–18th centuries, as notions of suffering or hardship intensified. The compound gained traction during the 19th century as a common descriptor in literature and social discourse, often linked to physical pain, emotional strain, or oppressive circumstances. The evolution reflects a broader pattern in English where negation prefixes attach to adjectives to express absolute or extreme degrees, reinforcing the word’s role in expressive discourse around limits of endurance. First known uses appear in late medieval or early modern texts where endurance was a central theme in philosophy and daily life, gradually expanding to describe abstract as well as concrete hardship. Today, unbearable signals peak severity and is frequently used in both everyday speech and professional rhetoric to underline urgency and the need for relief or intervention.
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Words that rhyme with "unbearable"
-ble sounds
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