uhn-HEL-thee
/əˈnhɛlθi/
unhealthy is pronounced uhn-HEL-thee (/əˈnhɛlθi/). Unhealthy describes something that is not good for one’s health or well-being. It denotes conditions, behaviors, or developments that can cause harm, illness, or deterioration of health. The term contrasts with healthy, and is often used in medical, lifestyle, or public-health contexts to warn or describe risk factors and negative outcomes.
Unhealthy describes something that is not good for one’s health or well-being. It denotes conditions, behaviors, or developments that can cause harm, illness, or deterioration of health. The term contrasts with healthy, and is often used in medical, lifestyle, or public-health contexts to warn or describe risk factors and negative outcomes.
"Maintaining an unhealthy diet can lead to long-term health problems."
"The doctor warned that his unhealthy habits were affecting his energy levels."
"An unhealthy work-life balance contributed to stress and burnout."
pronounce it as un-ˈhɛl.θi with the primary stress on the second syllable: /ʌnˈhɛlθi/. Start with a quick, light /ʌ/ in the first syllable, then a clear /ˈhɛl/ cluster where the tongue arches to make /h/ + /ɛ/ + /l/, and finish with a soft /θ/ (voiceless th) followed by /i/. In IPA: US/UK/AU: /ʌnˈhɛlθi/. Mouth positions: lip relaxed, jaw dropping slightly for /ʌ/; for /h/ keep breathy voice; /ɛ/ mid-open vowel; /l/ light contact with the alveolar ridge; /θ/ tip of tongue near upper teeth, voiceless fricative; final /i/ close front unrounded vowel.
Common errors: misplacing stress or muting the /h/; pronouncing /ˈhɛl/ as /ˈhɛlɪ/ or turning /θ/ into /f/ or /s/. Another error is blending the final /i/ too quickly, sounding like /-thi/ instead of /-θi/. Correction: emphasize /h/ immediately after un, ensure /ɛ/ is a clear mid-front vowel, articulate /l/ before the /θ/; end with a crisp /i/. Practice isolating each segment and then stringing them together slowly: /ʌn-ˈhɛl-θi/.
US tends to have a strong /ʌ/ in the first syllable and clear /θ/ with a fronted /ɛ/; UK often preserves the same vowels but may have a slightly more clipped /ˈhɛl/ and less vowel reduction in casual speech; AU commonly features a less pronounced /r/ influence and slightly broader vowel quality, with /θ/ still voiceless but sometimes softer. Overall the rhythm remains un-HÉL-thy with stress on the second syllable; rhoticity difference mainly affects connected speech rather than the word’s core vowels.
Two main challenges: the 2nd syllable’s /hɛl/ cluster demands precise articulatory timing of /h/ + /ɛ/ + /l/ before the /θ/; and the final /θi/ requires a voiceless dental fricative followed by a high front vowel, which many learners substitute with /t/ or /si/ if they’re not precise. Focus on keeping the tongue tip close to the upper teeth for /θ/ and avoid voicing. Practice sequentially: un- + heL + thI, then blend.
The word itself keeps the /θ/ before the final /i/, which means the speaker must transition quickly from the alveolar /l/ to the dental /θ/. The tension in the final /i/ can cause a more closed-margin vowel if rushed. Unique to this word is the emphasize-on-second-syllable rhythm and the careful articulation of the /θ/ in rapid speech, which differentiates it from adjectives with simpler endings like /-y/ ending words.
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The word unhealthy is formed by the prefix un- attached to healthy. Healthy itself comes from Old English hæl(e)th, related to hale, whole, and whole-hearted vitality, with cognates in multiple Germanic languages. The negative un- prefix attests to Old English usage, used to negate adjectives and nouns since early in the language’s history. By Middle English, unhealthy appeared to denote not being in health or healthful condition, often in medical or moral contexts. Over time, the semantic range widened to include conditions, behaviors, environments, and states of being that jeopardize wellbeing. In modern usage, unhealthy is a standard attributive and sometimes predicative adjective used across medical, lifestyle, public-health, and colloquial registers, frequently collocated with nouns like diet, habits, environment, and weight. The term’s evolution mirrors growing public-health awareness from the 19th to 21st centuries, when precise language around risk factors and health status became essential for communication in both clinical settings and public discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "unhealthy" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "unhealthy"
-ely sounds
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