uhn-dur-GOH
/ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/
undergo is pronounced uhn-dur-GOH (/ˌʌndɚˈɡoʊ/). Undergo means to experience or endure a process or transformation, especially one that is challenging or unfamiliar. It describes being subjected to something and emerging changed, often in a medical, procedural, or experiential context. The term typically appears in formal or semi-formal usage and can refer to procedures, trials, or events that one proceeds through rather than initiates.
Undergo means to experience or endure a process or transformation, especially one that is challenging or unfamiliar. It describes being subjected to something and emerging changed, often in a medical, procedural, or experiential context. The term typically appears in formal or semi-formal usage and can refer to procedures, trials, or events that one proceeds through rather than initiates.
"She will undergo a series of tests next week to determine the cause of her symptoms."
"The patient agreed to undergo surgery after a thorough discussion with the surgeon."
"During the trial, participants must undergo several screenings before enrollment."
Pronounce as /ənˈdɜːɡ/ in US/UK; the first syllable is unstressed (schwa), the second syllable carries the primary stress. Start with a relaxed ‘uh’ (ə), then a clear ‘n’ cluster, followed by /ˈdɜː/ (or /ˈdɔː/ in some accents) where your tongue arches to a mid-back position and your lips are neutral. End with /ɡ/; avoid voicing changes like turning it into /ɪɡ/. Listen for the slight rhotacized quality in rhotic accents. Audio cues: try saying “un-DER-goh” with a crisp final stop.
Two frequent errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable; always stress the second syllable: un-DER-go. (2) Slurring the final -go into /ɡoʊ/ or dropping the final /ɡ/ sound; ensure you release a clear /ɡ/. Another pitfall is mispronouncing the central vowel as /ɜː/ in non-rhotic accents; aim for /ɜː/ (US/UK) rather than a lax /ɜ/. Practice with a short pause before the stressed syllable to reinforce the rhythm.
In US and UK English, the form is /ənˈdɜːɡ/ or /ənˈdɔːɡ/ depending on vowel in the stressed syllable; rhotics influence the post-vocalic color in some US speakers but the ending remains /ɡ/. Australian English tends to maintain /ɜː/ or shift toward /ɔː/ in some speakers, with a slightly broader vowel and less rhotic influence in informal speech. Overall, stress placement remains on the second syllable; the main variance lies in the midpoint vowel quality and the quality of the final /ɡ/**
The difficulty centers on the middle vowel quality and the transition into the final /ɡ/. The sequence /ˈdɜː/ or /ˈdɔː/ requires a precise mid-back tongue position with a rounded or neutral lip shape, followed by a hard /ɡ/ stop. In many dialects, the unstressed initial syllable reduces to /ən/, which can blur if you don’t maintain a clean vowel onset for the stressed syllable. It’s easy to misplace the stress or gloss over the final stop, merging sounds into /-ərɡ/.
Is the word ‘undergo’ pronounced with a clipped or flowing final /ɡ/ in fast speech? Answer: In careful speech, the final /ɡ/ remains a distinct voiced stop, but in fast connected speech it may partly devoice or be less released, especially in rapid conversations; ensure you maintain a clear /ɡ/ with full release in careful pronunciation to avoid confusion with similar forms like undergoing.
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US: rhotic; tongue tips slightly behind upper teeth; stress the /ɜː/ or /ɔː/ with a robust /ɡ/. UK: less rhotic influence; keep /ˈdɜː/ or /ˈdɔː/ clear; Australian: tends toward broader vowels; keep /ɜː/ sounding open but not overly centralized. IPA anchors: US /ənˈdɜːɡ/, UK /ənˈdɜːɡ/, AU /ənˈdɔːɡ/. Practical tip: practice with a mirror showing mouth shape, ensuring back of tongue rises for /ɜː/.
Undergo derives from the phrase underthego, which was historically used to mean to go under something or to pass beneath. The current sense—“to experience or undergo”—emerged in the English language by the 17th century as a semantic expansion of the verb go, enriched by the preposition under signaling exposure to a process or action from which one comes out changed. The root word go traces to Old English gane (to go) and Proto-Germanic *gibaną, with cognates across Germanic languages. Over time, undergo fused with under + go to convey the idea of going forward through a condition or procedure that is carried out on or to the subject, rather than acting on it from the outside. First known use in print appears in early modern English texts discussing medical and legal procedures, solidifying its specialized sense in formal contexts as opposed to everyday action. Today, undergo retains its sense of participation in a process, often with connotations of challenge, transformation, or endurance, and is commonly paired withMedical, surgical, experimental, or experiential nouns. Historically, the shift from physical movement under to abstract exposure reflects broader English patterns where under- prefixes denote state or condition that is being entered or experienced through an event or procedure.
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Words that rhyme with "undergo"
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