uhn-fawr-SEEN
/ˌʌnfɔˈɹsin/
unforeseen is pronounced uhn-fawr-SEEN (/ˌʌnfɔˈɹsin/). Unforeseen describes something that was not anticipated or expected. It denotes events or outcomes that occur without warning, catching people by surprise. In use, it often adds a sense of spontaneity or surprise in narrative or analysis.
Unforeseen describes something that was not anticipated or expected. It denotes events or outcomes that occur without warning, catching people by surprise. In use, it often adds a sense of spontaneity or surprise in narrative or analysis.
"The project faced unforeseen delays that pushed the launch date back by two weeks."
"An unforeseen downturn in the market forced the team to rethink its strategy."
"We encountered unforeseen complications during the renovation."
It’s pronounced as /ˌən.fɔːrˈsiːn/ (US) or /ˌʌn.fɔːˈsiːn/ (UK). The primary stress falls on the second syllable in the final suffix, with the bold sound on ‘seen’ carrying the /siːn/ vowel. Start with a light schwa or unstressed initial syllable, then a clear /f/ after the first vowel, and end with a long /iːn/. Practice by saying ‘un-’ (unstressed), then ‘for-seen’ with stress on ‘seen’. Listening reference: try hearing it in the Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries’ audio.
Common errors include placing primary stress on the first syllable (un-FOR-seen) or flattening the /siːn/ to /sɪn/ as in seen. Another mistake is merging the liquid /r/ with the preceding syllable, producing /ˌənˈfɔːnsiːn/ instead of /ˌən.fɔːrˈsiːn/. To correct: keep the /r/ as a distinct rhotic consonant in US, UK, and AU, and ensure the /siːn/ is a long vowel, not a short /sɪn/. Practice with a gentle pause before the final stressed syllable to recharge the intonation.
In US English, the sequence /ˌən.fɔːrˈsiːn/ includes a rhotic /r/ in the second syllable, with a broad /ɔː/ in ‘for’. In UK English, the /r/ is non-rhotic, but the combination often still yields a similar /ˌʌn.fɔːˈsiːn/ with a longer /ɔː/; the final /siːn/ remains. Australian English is rhotic similarly to American, with a slightly flatter /ɔː/ and a close back vowel in the final syllable. The main differences lie in rhoticity and vowel quality; the final /siːn/ remains a long, tense vowel.
Difficulties often come from the cluster /fɔːr/ followed by /siːn/, requiring a clear /r/ in rhotic accents or its absence in non-rhotic accents, and maintaining a long /iː/ in the final syllable. The three-syllable rhythm and secondary stress on the second syllable can cause misplacement of stress or blending, especially in rapid speech. Focus on segmenting: un- /ən/ (unstressed), -for- /fɔːr/ (clear /r/), -seen /siːn/ with a long, tight vowel.
In typical pronunciation, the 'for' is pronounced as /fɔːr/ in rhotic accents; in non-rhotic accents it can sound like /fɔː/ with the trailing /r/ being less pronounced. The 'fore' is not exactly separate here—it's the /fɔːr/ cluster that begins the stressed middle portion. The key is to distinguish the /ɔː/ from the following /siːn/; avoid turning the middle into /fɔːriːn/ or merging with the final vowel. Keep the middle as a clean /fɔːr/.
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Unforeseen is formed from the prefix un- (not) + foresee, with the suffix -en forming an adjective from a past participle-like base. Foresee itself comes from Old English forsięon (to look ahead, to foresee) with the prefix fore- (before, in advance). The modern spelling consolidates the Middle English development of compound adjectives where un- is attached to the verb stem to indicate negation or absence of the preceding meaning. The word appears in English texts by at least the 17th century, but it becomes common in legal, business, and narrative contexts during the 19th and 20th centuries as formal writing style favored precise modifiers for events not anticipated. The sense shifted from “not seen ahead” to “not anticipated or predicted” and retained a formal register in professional discourse. Today, unforeseen is widely used in clauses discussing risk, contingency planning, and surprise outcomes, often contrasted with foreseen or anticipated scenarios.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "unforeseen" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "unforeseen"
-een sounds
-ean sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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