uhn-LAW-fuh-lee
/əˈnlɔfəli/
unlawfully is pronounced uhn-LAW-fuh-lee (/əˈnlɔfəli/). Unlawfully means in a manner that is not in accordance with the law or that infringes legal rules. It describes actions done illegally, often with intent or recklessness. The term is used in formal or legal contexts as well as journalism and policy discussions, signaling a violation of statutory or common law.
Unlawfully means in a manner that is not in accordance with the law or that infringes legal rules. It describes actions done illegally, often with intent or recklessness. The term is used in formal or legal contexts as well as journalism and policy discussions, signaling a violation of statutory or common law.
- You’ll often mispronounce the stressed /ɔː/ due to rushing; slow down and hold the vowel. - You might merge /l/ and /f/ into a single sound; keep /l/ clearly voiced before /f/. - The final -ly is frequently reduced too much, yielding a nearly silent ending; keep a light /li/ to signal the adverbial form. - Remember the initial schwa 'un-' is weak; avoid turning it into a full syllable. - In rapid speech, the entire word can blur; practice with controlled pace to maintain clarity.
"The suspect was found unlawfully in possession of the device."
"The company was fined for unlawfully withholding wages."
"Unlawfully obtained data cannot be used as evidence."
Pronounce as un-LAW-fully, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU ≈ /ənˈlɔːf(ə)li/. Start with a neutral schwa, then the long open-mid back rounded vowel /ɔː/ in the stressed syllable, followed by /f/ and a clear secondary syllable /li/ with light, unstressed schwa before the final -ly. Mouth: gentle lip rounding for /ɔː/, teeth lightly touching for /f/, tip of tongue near the alveolar ridge for /l/, and a final relaxed /i/ or schwa before /li/.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress by saying un-LAW-fully with reduced prominence on /ɔː/; (2) Slurring the /l/ with the following /f/ making /lf/ blend; (3) Overpronouncing or underpronouncing the final -ly leading to /li/ or /liː/ instead of a quick, unstressed ending. Correction: clearly articulate /l/ as a light alveolar lateral, keep /ɔː/ long enough in the stressed syllable, and finish with a crisp, short /li/ or /liə/ depending on rate. Practice with minimal pairs to isolate /ɔː/ and /f/.
US pronunciation often keeps the /ɔː/ as a rounded back vowel in stressed syllable with a more pronounced flap or slower pace; UK pronunciation may show a slightly purer /ɔː/ and crisper /l/; Australian tends to be closer to UK but with a flatter intonation and marginally shorter final -ly. The initial schwa remains; the primary stress on /ˈlɔː/ stays stable. IPA: US/UK/AU ≈ /ənˈlɔːfəli/.
Difficulties include maintaining a stable /ɔː/ in the stressed syllable while not letting the /l/ blend into the /f/; the sequence /lf/ is less common in many dialects, so many speakers either devoice or mis-articulate /l/ or /f/ together. Also, the ending /-əli/ or /-li/ requires a quick, unstressed vowel. Focus on keeping the /ɔː/ long, separating /l/ and /f/ distinctly, and finishing with a light, clipped /li/.
A distinctive feature is the contrast between the long stressed /ɔː/ in 'law' segment and the following /f/, which creates a brief consonant cluster /lf/ that can be challenging at faster speech rates. The final -ly is unstressed, so the /ɭi/ or /li/ reduces toward a light, quick sound. The word’s rhythm places emphasis on the second syllable, making the /ɔː/ sound pivotal for overall intelligibility.
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- US: keep /ɔː/ with clear rounding, avoid flapping; stress one syllable; - UK: maintain broader /ɔː/ quality and crisper /l/; - AU: similar to UK but with slightly flatter intonation. IPA references: /ənˈlɔːfəli/ for all; aim for a steady, non-rhotic rhythm in UK and AU, with American tendency to a slightly more pronounced vowel value in stressed syllable.
Unlawfully is formed from three parts: the prefix un-, the stem law, and the adverbial suffix -ly. The prefix un- signals negation or opposite meaning, dating back to Old English un- with related Germanic roots, used to form adjectives and adverbs, among other parts of speech. law derives from Old English lagu or lagu-, linked to concepts of statute and rule; the modern sense of constitutional and civil law emerges in Middle English from Latin via Old French via Latin ius/iur-. The suffix -ly is the typical adverbial ending that converts adjectives into adverbs, tracing back to Old English -līce, meaning “in a certain manner.” The earliest attestations of unified “unlawfully” appear in English legal writing from the 15th-16th centuries, but the components were in use earlier. The combination “un- + law” to describe a violation crystallized as legal discourse expanded in Early Modern English, becoming common in judicial and legislative texts by the 1600s. Over time, “unlawfully” retained formal, prescriptive connotations and appears in modern statutes, court opinions, and policy documents as a precise modifier indicating breach of law.
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Words that rhyme with "unlawfully"
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