uhn-suhk-SES-fuh-lee
/ˌʌnsəˈksɛsfəli/
unsuccessfully is pronounced uhn-suhk-SES-fuh-lee (/ˌʌnsəˈksɛsfəli/). Unsuccessfully refers to the manner of failing to achieve a desired result or outcome. It describes actions or attempts that do not succeed, often implying repeated or notable failure. The term is commonly used in formal and informal contexts to report outcomes or assess strategies that did not work as intended.
Unsuccessfully refers to the manner of failing to achieve a desired result or outcome. It describes actions or attempts that do not succeed, often implying repeated or notable failure. The term is commonly used in formal and informal contexts to report outcomes or assess strategies that did not work as intended.
- You focus too much on the prefix and forget the central 'cess' cluster; practice by isolating the core: /ˈsɛsf/ and ensure a crisp /s/ before the /f/. - You shorten or delete the mid syllables; retain all syllables: /ənˌsəkˈsɛs.fə.li/ with even timing. - You mispronounce the final -ly as -lee or -ly; keep /li/ and avoid gliding to an extra vowel. - You carry over a diphthong for the -sess- vowel; keep the steady /ɛ/ as in 'set' or 'bed' and avoid turning it into a monophthong. - Practice tip: slow-them-down practice, then speed up while maintaining ratio of duration among syllables.
"The project was unsuccessfully rushed, leading to numerous errors."
"Attempts to reach an agreement were unsuccessful after several rounds of negotiation."
"He unsuccessfully tried to fix the leak before the storm."
AI-friendly guide: /ˌənˌsəkˈsɛsfəli/ (US) or /ˌənˌsəkˈses.fə.li/ (UK). Break it as un–suc–cess–ful–ly with primary stress on the syllable -cess- and secondary stress on the second unstressed prefix. Start with an unstressed 'uhn' (schwa), then 'suhk' (səks), then 'sess' (sɛs) with a crisper vowel, followed by 'fuh' (fə), and end with 'lee' (li). Keep the /k/ clear in sia- syllable and avoid tensing the lips. Keywords: pronunciation, IPA, stress, syllable, schwa.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing primary stress on -ses- rather than -cess-, leading to /ˌənˌsəksˈɛsfəli/; 2) Dropping the /l/ in -ly or converting -fully to -flee; 3) Overemphasizing the final -ly, making it sound wobbly. Correction: keep the /l/ clear in -ly and maintain a clean /li/ ending; maintain the secondary stress on the -sess- and avoid vowel reduction that collapses syllables. Use slow practice to anchor the rhythm.
US vs UK vs AU: US often has a slightly more reduced initial unstressed syllable /ˌənˌsək-/ and stronger emphasis on -sɛs-; UK might show a tighter /ˌənˈsɛk.ses.fə.li/ with crisper /t/ or /k/ influence and less rhoticity in some speakers; AU can sound more elongated vowels in the middle and a flatter diphthong in -ly. In all, /ˌənˌsəkˈsɛsfəli/ remains common; pay attention to rhoticity and vowel quality shifts by region.
The difficulty comes from multi-syllabic length, three stressed elements, and rapid consonant clusters: the /səkˈsɛs/ sequence demands clear /k/ and /s/ transitions; the unstressed initial /ən/ can reduce and blur. Getting the rhythm right—stress on -cess- while keeping the surrounding vowels distinct—takes focused practice, plus correct lip-tunch and jaw timing across the sequence.
The word contains a three-part structure with a central stressed 'cess' core, framed by a light 'un-' prefix and a final '-ly' suffix; this creates a nontrivial rhythm and a demand for precise vowel durations across syllables. The final -ly attaches to the preceding -fully, which in normal speech sometimes merges to /fli/ if spoken quickly; be deliberate about preserving the two-syllable final -ly (/li) to avoid slurring.
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- US: Slightly rhotic, less rounding on vowels; keep /ə/ in un- but pronounce /ˌənˌsək/ clearly; final /li/ is light and quick. - UK: non-rhotic tendency; the middle vowels can be crisper; you may hear slightly tensed /e/ in /sɛs/. - AU: Vowels tend to be broader; final -ly can be pronounced with a rounded /iː/ in some speakers; ensure the /l/ is light and /j/ is avoided unless you over-press. - Reference IPA: /ˌənˌsəkˈsɛsfəli/ (US) /ˌənˈsɛk.ses.fə.li/ (UK) /ˌənˈsəks.səs.fəl.i/ (AU). Focus on rhoticity and vowel length variations.
Unsuccessfully combines the prefix un- (a negating particle) with the root success, from Latin successus (a going up, achievement) via Old French saccess. The suffix -fully derives from -ful with adverbial -ly to form an adverb modifying the verb. The word’s core idea centers on the absence of success; historically, successions of attempts were described as ‘not successful’ or ‘unhappily coming to pass’ in older English. The modern form consolidates the negation and adverbial morphology to mean ‘in an unsuccessful manner.’ The noun success traces to Latin successus and success- through Old French succès, later entering English around the late Middle Ages. In 1800s usage, -fully as a productive adverbial suffix appears frequently in analytical writing; the word solidified its contemporary spelling and sense during the 19th to 20th centuries as scientific reporting expanded. Today, unsuccessfully is a standard adverb used across academic, business, and everyday contexts to describe outcomes that failed to meet goals, standards, or expectations.
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Words that rhyme with "unsuccessfully"
-ily sounds
-on) sounds
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