uhn-FREND-lee
/ənˈfɹɛndli/
unfriendly is pronounced uhn-FREND-lee (/ənˈfɹɛndli/). Unfriendly describes someone or something exhibiting coldness or hostility, lacking warmth or cordiality. It usually refers to behavior, attitudes, or environments that feel unapproachable or harsh, signaling a lack of friendliness. In usage, it can describe people, places, or actions that make others feel unwelcome or uneasy.
Unfriendly describes someone or something exhibiting coldness or hostility, lacking warmth or cordiality. It usually refers to behavior, attitudes, or environments that feel unapproachable or harsh, signaling a lack of friendliness. In usage, it can describe people, places, or actions that make others feel unwelcome or uneasy.
How to fix: practice with slow, exaggerated enunciation first, then gradually reduce volume while maintaining the same mouth positions. Use tongue tips and blade to position the /n/ before /f/, then glide into /r/ or /f/ depending on accent. Record yourself and compare to native audio; focus on the peak of the FRIEND syllable and ensure the staccato /d/ does not bleed into the following /l/.”
"Her unfriendly reply made it clear she wasn’t happy with the decision."
"The receptionist’s unfriendly demeanor set a negative tone for the visit."
"We found the neighborhood to be unfriendly to newcomers."
Pronounce as /ʌnˈfrɛn(d)li/ (US) or /ʌnˈfren(d)li/ (UK). The syllable division is un-FRIEND-ly with primary stress on the second syllable. Begin with the short 'uh' sound /ʌ/, then the /n/ sound, followed by the stressed /frɛn(d)/ cluster where the /d/ is the soft, almost silent ‘d’ in many accents; finally, the final /li/ with a clear 'ee' vowel. In careful speech, you articulate the /n/ before the /f/, and keep a crisp /l/ at the end. Use a quick, unrounded /ʌ/ then move to the tense /ɛ/ in FRIEND, ending with a light /li/. Audio resources: try Cambridge/Oxford dictionaries for audio, or Forvo entries for native voices.”,
Common mistakes: 1) Stress misplacement, saying un-FRIEND-ly with the emphasis on un- or on the final syllable, which softens the negative emphasis. 2) T- or D-sound confusion in the /d/ of FRIEND; some learners voice the /d/ strongly or omit it; aim for a light alveolar stop or a flap depending on rhythm. 3) Vowel quality in FRIEND: use /ɛ/ not /eɪ/ or /æ/; avoid a drawn-out or clipped /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Corrections: practice the vowel in FRIEND with a crisp mid-front /ɛ/; ensure primary stress is on FRIEND; keep /d/ brief or almost silent in rapid speech. Listen to native recordings and imitate the rhythm.”,
In US English, /ʌnˈfrɛn(d)li/ with a rhotic pronunciation; the /r/ is typically present in the surrounding syllables but may still be subtle in rapid speech. UK English tends to produce /ʌnˈfren(d)li/ with a non-rhotic /r/ (the /r/ is not pronounced unless followed by a vowel). Australian English commonly features a closer /ɪ/ or /e/ vowel in the FRIEND portion depending on speaker; some may reduce /ɪ/ to a schwa in casual speech, producing /ˈfrendli/ with a less distinct /æ/ or /eɪ/ quality. The final syllable remains /li/ in all varieties; the main differences lie in rhoticity, vowel quality in FRIEND, and the degree of vowel reduction in the unstressed syllables.”,
The difficulty lies in the tertiary consonant cluster un + FRIE-; the key challenge is producing the /fr/ cluster cleanly and placing the primary stress on FRIE-ND, while maintaining a short, light /d/ in the middle. The -ly ending in English can create a trailing light /li/ that learners often mispronounce as /lɪ/ or merge with a previous vowel. The prefix un- also tempts learners to misarticulate the onset with varying intonation or to over-enunciate the initial syllable. Accurate articulation requires precise tongue position for /f/ and /r/ together, and clear separation of /fr/ from the alveolar /n/ that follows.”,
Yes, the pronunciation hinges on keeping the second syllable strong and distinct: FRIEND. The /r/ (in American and many UK speakers) or its absence (non-rhotic UK) affects the overall sound. Ensure you don’t convert FRIEND to FRIND or FRÈND by collapsing the vowel or misplacing the tongue. Also, the /d/ in FRIEND should be light and brief in connected speech to avoid a heavy stop that disrupts the flow. In careful speech, articulate the un- prefix quickly and connectively, so the nucleus stays on FRIEND rather than spilling into -ly.”],
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Unfriendly is formed from the prefix un- meaning ‘not’ attached to friendly. Friendly itself derives from friend + -ly, with friend tracing to Old English frēond, from Proto-Germanic frijôn, related to Dutch vriend and German Freund, ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning ‘to love’. The affix un- entered English by Old English times to negate adjectives and participles. The word friendly appeared in Middle English, meaning ‘having the qualities of a friend,’ and by the 17th century, unfriendly began to signify the opposite: not kind, not amicable. The term matured into a descriptive label for behavior, attitudes, or environments that lack warmth, often carrying connotations of interpersonal rudeness or social barrier. In modern use, unfriendly adjectives describe tone, facial expressions, or policies that deter positive social interaction, preserving the negative nuance of ‘not welcoming’ across contexts such as workplaces, social settings, and customer interactions.
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Words that rhyme with "unfriendly"
-me) sounds
-ct) sounds
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