uh-NEE-vuhn
/əˈnivən/
uneven is pronounced uh-NEE-vuhn (/əˈnivən/). Uneven describes something that is not level, equal, or smooth; it varies in height or degree. It often refers to surfaces, progress, or outcomes that lack uniformity. In use, it can imply inconsistency or irregularity, drawing attention to the gaps or differences rather than sameness.
Uneven describes something that is not level, equal, or smooth; it varies in height or degree. It often refers to surfaces, progress, or outcomes that lack uniformity. In use, it can imply inconsistency or irregularity, drawing attention to the gaps or differences rather than sameness.
- You frequently misplace the primary stress on the first or final syllable; ensure the stress is on the second syllable: /ˌənˈiːvən/. - You reduce the long /iː/ to a shorter vowel in fast speech, sounding like /ˌənˈɪvən/; keep a clear /iː/ with sustained duration. - You over-articulate the final /n/ making it sound clipped; allow a light, nasal /ən/ ending rather than a hard stop. - You neglect the unstressed first syllable, producing a flat, evenly stressed rhythm; let the first syllable be a light, quick schwa and reserve the weight for -iː-. - In rapid connected speech, vowels can merge with neighboring words; practice with word pairs to preserve the second-syllable vowel integrity.
"The road ahead was uneven, with potholes popping up unexpectedly."
"Her progress remained uneven, sometimes fast, sometimes slow."
"The paint peeled in uneven patches along the wall."
Pronounce as /ˌənˈiːvən/ in US and UK, with three syllables: un- (unstressed, schwa) + iː (long E) + ven (vən). The primary stress is on the second syllable (-iː-). Mouth position: start with a relaxed neutral vowel for the first 'u', raise the tongue to an early high front position for 'ee', and finish with a light 'vən' cluster. You’ll hear a brief syllable before the stressed vowel. IPA: US/UK: /ˌənˈiːvən/; AU follows the same pattern: /ˌənˈiːvən/.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress, saying uni-ˈe-ven or un-ˈee-ven with incorrect second-syllable emphasis. 2) Shortening the middle vowel, producing /ˌənˈɪvən/ instead of /ˌənˈiːvən/. 3) Voicing the final -ven too strongly, making it /ˈviːvən/ or /ˈvɛn/. Correction tips: emphasize the long E in the second syllable: un- (unstressed) + iː + ven, keep a light schwa in the first syllable, and finish with a soft v and schwa: /ˌənˈiːvən/.
US/UK/AU share /ˌənˈiːvən/ but rhoticity and vowel quality shift subtly. In US English, the r-lessness is not involved here, but the /ˈiː/ can be slightly shorter in faster speech. UK speakers maintain a precise long /iː/ with less vowel reduction in connected speech, and AU English often features a slightly more centralized vowel in rapid speech but maintains the /iː/ quality. The initial unstressed /ə/ can become a near-schwa [ɘ] for some speakers. Overall, the center of gravity remains on the second syllable, with a clear /iː/ vowel in all varieties.
The difficulty lies in the two-syllable rhythm with a strong secondary stress on the first or second syllable depending on context, plus maintaining a long /iː/ in the second syllable while keeping the first syllable vowel reduced. Coarticulation with following words in fluent speech can blur the /ˈiː/, and speakers often over- or under-pronounce the /iː/ or misplace stress. Focus on sustaining a crisp /iː/ and keeping the first syllable short and centralized. IPA guidance helps anchor the exact vowel quality.
In rapid speech, reduce the first syllable to a quick schwa /ə/ and maintain the second syllable’s long /iː/ without shortening it excessively. Practice with connected phrases: 'an uneven surface' and 'unevenly distributed'. Use slow-to-fast progressions and record yourself to check that the /ˌənˈiːvən/ pattern remains clear even as tempo increases. Visualize the mouth position: relax jaw for /ə/, lift the tongue for /iː/ and gently voice /vən/ at the end.
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- US: Keep the second syllable pure /iː/ with a clear tenseness, the first syllable a quick schwa. The /v/ is voiced with a light labiodental contact; end with a subtle /ən/. - UK: Similar pattern, but you may hear a slightly crisper /iː/ and less vowel reduction in careful speech; ensure non-rhoticity affects only rhotic vowels elsewhere, not this word’s core vowel. - AU: Often a touch more centralized in fast speech; maintain /iː/ length but permit slight reduction in the first syllable; keep the final /ən/ soft and nasal. - IPA references: US /ˌənˈiːvən/, UK /ˌənˈiːvən/, AU /ˌənˈiːvən/; practice with minimal pairs to feel subtle vowel shifts across accents.
Uneven comes from the prefix un- meaning not, combined with even (from Old English een/even, from Proto-Germanic *ainaz, meaning 'one, single, level, just'). The sense evolved from describing physical surfaces to more abstract irregularities. In Middle English, forms like yneven or unevenish appeared sporadically, but the modern spelling and pronunciation stabilized by the 16th–17th centuries as standard English spelling conventions firmed up. The word retained a core sense of deviation from an even baseline, but broadened to describe disparities in progress, outcomes, or conditions as well as tactile surfaces. Its usage widened with metaphorical extensions, such as uneven chances or uneven growth, reflecting the broader concept of lack of uniformity. First known uses appear in general English texts from the 14th–15th centuries, though exact earliest citations vary by corpus; the sense of irregularity in shape or distribution is consistently tied to the root idea of parity or smoothness that “even” once signified. Modern usage keeps a strong link between physical and figurative irregularity, making uneven a versatile descriptor across technical, literary, and everyday contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "uneven" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "uneven"
-son sounds
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