uhn-dis-TURBD
/ˌʌndɪˈstɝbd/
undisturbed is pronounced uhn-dis-TURBD (/ˌʌndɪˈstɝbd/). Undisturbed describes a state or condition free from interruption or interruption-related disturbance; remaining unchanged by external events. It conveys quiet, continuity, and intactness, often referring to objects, environments, or states that retain their original condition or peace. In everyday use, it implies steadiness and absence of interference or disruption.
Undisturbed describes a state or condition free from interruption or interruption-related disturbance; remaining unchanged by external events. It conveys quiet, continuity, and intactness, often referring to objects, environments, or states that retain their original condition or peace. In everyday use, it implies steadiness and absence of interference or disruption.
"The field remained undisturbed during the excavation."
"She spoke in an undisturbed voice, without hesitation."
"He left the desk in an undisturbed state after finishing the task."
Break it as un-dis-TURBD with primary stress on TURBD. IPA US: ˌən.dɪˈstɜrbd, UK: ˌən.dɪˈstəːbd, AU: ˌən.dɪˈstɜːbd. Focus on the /ˈstɜːr/ (American /ˈstɜr/) or /ˈstəːb/ in some UK variants depending on rhoticity and vowel length. Start with a light, clipped /ən/ and lead into a clear /dɪ/ before /ˈstɜrbd/. The final -ed is voiced as /d/ in connected speech; you’ll hear the final /bd/ cluster quickly. Mouth: low-mid front tongue for /ɪ/, mid-back for /ɜː/ or /əː/, lips neutral. Aim for a steady rhythm: unstressed-unstressed-stressed-unstressed with a light trailing /d/. Audio reference: listen to standard pronunciation in Pronounce or Cambridge audio samples and mimic the cadence.
Common errors: (1) Skipping the /ɪ/ in the second syllable or reducing it to a schwa too early, which makes it sound like un-dust-bbed; (2) misplacing stress, saying un-DIS-turbed instead of UN-dis-TURBD; (3) mispronouncing the final /bd/ as /b/ or /t/; fix by practicing the /bd/ cluster as a single, voiced alveolar stop with a brief consonant release. Practice with minimal pairs to reinforce the correct sequence: /ən.dɪˈstɜrbd/ vs /ən.dɪˈstɜːtɪbd/. Use slow repetition, then speed up maintaining the /ˈstɜr/ core and the final /bd/.
US tends to rhotically articulate /ɜr/ as /ɜr/ with a clear /ɪ/ in the second syllable, and a tighter /ˈstɜr/; UK often uses non-rhotic /-bd/ endings in rapid speech and may reduce the second syllable vowel to /ə/ in casual speech; AU features broader vowel qualities and a more open /ɜː/ in the stressed syllable, with slower consonant release. In all, the primary stress remains near the /stɜːr/ nucleus, but vowel length and rhoticity vary. Listen to region-specific dictionaries and imitate the cadence of local speakers.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster at the end (/stɜrbd/), where the /r/ vowel combination and the final /bd/ must blend smoothly in connected speech. The sequence /d/ after /r/ can cause a subtle pause; maintain voicing and avoid devoicing the final cluster. Additionally, the second syllable carries a strong diphthongal /ɪ/ or reduced /ə/ depending on accent. Practicing slow articulation of /ən.dɪˈstɜrbd/ helps stabilize the transition to the final voiced cluster.
No silent letters in standard pronunciation. All letters contribute to the spoken form: /ən.dɪˈstɜrbd/. However, in rapid connected speech, the /d/ may partially assimilate or blur near the /t/ onset of the stressed syllable, giving a smoother transition.
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Undisturbed is formed from the prefix un- (a negation) + distur(b)ed, with disturbe from Old French desturbé, ultimately from Latin disturbare, from dis- (apart, away) + turbare (to disturb, to throw into disorder). The verb disturb entered Middle English via Old French destourber/desturbier. The noun or adjective forms followed typical English morphology: add -ed to form distur b ed, then negate with un-. The modern sense of undisturbed—‘not disturbed; free from interruption or disruption’—emerged as a natural extension in the 18th–19th centuries, aligning with broader notions of state, peace, and constancy in literature and formal writing. First known uses appear in 17th–18th century texts describing conditions or landscapes free from disturbance, with the compound becoming common in scientific and descriptive prose by the 19th century. The word evolved to emphasize the absence of external interference across contexts—environmental, cognitive, and physical—while retaining the core sense of unchanging or preserved state. In contemporary usage, undisturbed frequently collocates with objects (undisturbed soil), places (undisturbed nature), and states of mind (undisturbed calm).
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Words that rhyme with "undisturbed"
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