uhn-LAHK
/əˈnlɑk/
unlock is pronounced uhn-LAHK (/əˈnlɑk/). Unlock is a compound verb meaning to open something that is locked, or to release access or potential. In speech, it functions as a single lexeme with initial /ʌ/ and final /lɒk/ in many accents, though vowel quality shifts with surrounding sounds. It often carries idiomatic senses like to unlock a door, a container, or metaphorically to unlock potential or opportunities.
Unlock is a compound verb meaning to open something that is locked, or to release access or potential. In speech, it functions as a single lexeme with initial /ʌ/ and final /lɒk/ in many accents, though vowel quality shifts with surrounding sounds. It often carries idiomatic senses like to unlock a door, a container, or metaphorically to unlock potential or opportunities.
"She forgot her keys and couldn’t unlock the door."
"The new policy could unlock funding for research."
"A key phrase can unlock understanding of the topic."
Pronounce it as /ənˈlɒk/ in US/UK; two syllables with a reduced first syllable and a stressed second syllable. Start with a schwa or /ən/ sound, then stress the second syllable /ˈlɒk/ with an open back rounded vowel like 'lot' and a crisp /k/ release. In careful speech you may hear /ʌnˈlɒk/ depending on speaker. Practice by saying “uh-nLOCK” slowly, then emphasize the L and K.
Common errors include placing stress on the first syllable as /ˈʌnˌlɒk/ or pronouncing the second syllable with a lax vowel like /læk/ or slurring the /n/ into /ŋ/. To correct: keep second-syllable stress on /ˈlɒk/, ensure the /n/ is clear between the /ən/ and /lɒk/, and avoid turning the first syllable into a strong full vowel. Use a light, quick /n/ and a crisp final /k/.
In US and UK, the second syllable carries the sharp /lɒk/ with an /ɒ/ vowel; US /ɹ/ may influence the surrounding vowel harmony slightly, but the rhoticity does not change the core /ənˈlɒk/. Australian tends to be similar but with broader vowels and sometimes a slightly more rounded /ɒ/; some speakers may voice the /l/ more softly near a vowel. Overall, the rhythm remains unstressed-unstressed-STRESSED.
The difficulty lies in balancing the weak initial syllable with a strong second syllable, and maintaining a precise /l/ and final /k/ without a vowel between them. The /ən/ cluster in the first syllable can reduce to a quick schwa, making it easy to misplace stress or blur the /n/ boundary. Training focus: clear /ən/, strong /l/ onset for the second syllable, and crisp /k/ release.
There is no silent letter in unlock. Every letter corresponds to a sound in the standard pronunciation: /ə/ or /ən/ in the first syllable, /l/ onset of the second, and /ɒk/ ending with a voiced or voiceless /k/ release. The challenge is not a silent letter but the fast transition and the vowel quality of /ɒ/ after /l/.
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Unlock derives from the combination of un- (a negating prefix) and lock, with Old English roots. The verb lock itself traces to the Proto-Germanic *laikią* or related roots indicating binding or fastening, with cognates in Old Norse and Gothic. The prefix un- expressing reversal or negation dates from Old English, producing un- + lock as a straightforward construction: to reverse the action of locking. The earliest occurrences of unlock in English appear in Middle English texts, where “unlochen” or “unlokian” variants described releasing a lock or unfastening. By the Early Modern period, unlock assumed idiomatic senses like unsealing or revealing something previously obstructed or closed. The modern sense of enabling access, unlocking potential, or metaphorically revealing information crystallized over the 19th and 20th centuries as doors, containers, and abstract barriers became common objects described as unlockable or unlockable potential, illustrating a semantic extension from literal to figurative openings.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "unlock" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "unlock" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "unlock"
-ook sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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