4 syllables: Ver, ti, gin, ous. Stress on ti.
vuhr-TIJ-uh-nuhs
/vərˈtɪdʒənəs/
Vertiginous is pronounced vuhr-TIJ-uh-nuhs (/vərˈtɪdʒənəs/). It has four syllables (Ver-ti-gin-ous), with the stress on "ti". Vertiginous is an adjective describing something that is extremely tall or steep, or causing or experiencing a whirling sensation. It can refer to dizzying heights, precarious edges, or objects that induce vertigo. The word often conveys a sense of awe or danger due to height or rapid motion.
adjectiveVertiginous is an adjective describing something that is extremely tall or steep, or causing or experiencing a whirling sensation. It can refer to dizzying heights, precarious edges, or objects that induce vertigo. The word often conveys a sense of awe or danger due to height or rapid motion.
"The vertiginous cliff edge forced the hikers to back away slowly."
"From the balcony, the city seemed vertiginous, a maze of glittering towers far below."
"The ride was so vertiginous that some passengers grabbed the safety bar."
Pronounce as ver-TIH-jih-nuss, with the primary stress on the second syllable: /ˌvɜːrˈtɪdʒɪnəs/ in US, /ˌvɜːˈtɪdʒɪnəs/ in UK. Start with a mid back rounded /ɜː/ or /ɜ/, then a crisp /t/ followed by /ɪ/ and a soft /dʒ/ as in 'gene'. End with /nəs/. Audio references: you can compare with Cambridge or Oxford online dictionaries for native speaker pronunciation.
Two frequent errors: (1) stressing the first syllable as ver- rather than the second, which changes meaning; (2) mispronouncing the /dʒ/ as a simple /j/ or /z/ sound. Correct by confirming the /tʃ/ or /dʒ/ blend after /t/; ensure the /ɜː/ or /ɜ/ vowel is rounded and the /ə/ in -ɪ-nəs is reduced. Practice the sequence ver-TI-dji-nəs and keep the tongue blade toward the ridge for the /dʒ/.
In US English, primary stress is often on the second syllable: /ˌvɜːrˈtɪdʒɪnəs/; in UK English the /ɜː/ vowel is longer and /ˈtɪ/ may have slightly tenser quality: /ˌvɜːˈtɪdʒɪnəs/; Australian accents tend to be non-rhotic and may have a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable: /ˌvəˈtɪdʒɪnəs/. All share the /dʒ/ cluster; focus on rhotacism differences and vowel length.
Three challenges: the multi-syllabic rhythm with secondary vowels; the /tɪdʒ/ cluster that can blur into /tj/ or /tʃ/ if rushed; and the final /ənəs/ reducing to /ənəs/ in fast speech. Focus on the voiced affricate /dʒ/ after an unstressed middle syllable, keep the /ɜː/ or /ɜ/ quality clear, and avoid overemphasizing the final /əs/.
Some learners wonder if the 'verti-' prefix in vertiginous behaves differently from other -tigin- derivatives. It does not: the prefix is not pronounced as separate morphemes; the word remains one syllable group with secondary stress and a single /dʒ/ sound cluster. Treat it as one unit: ver-TIG-i-nous with the dental-tap /t/ followed by /dʒ/.
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Vertiginous comes from the French word vertigineux, derived from vertige ‘vertigo’ (from Latin vertigo, from vertere ‘to turn’). The English form emerged in the 17th–18th centuries as a loanword capturing the sense of dizzying height or spinning motion. The Latin root vertere meaning to turn or rotate contributed to the core notion of rapid motion or extreme angle; vertigo itself traces further to a Proto-Indo-European root *wer- meaning to turn or bend. Over time, vertiginous broadened from strictly dizzying sensations at heights to describe anything that gives a sense of extreme, dizzying scale or motion—architecture, landscapes, or even the idea of rapid progress. First known usage in English appears in geological or architectural descriptions of sheer cliffs or steep slopes in early modern writing, and later in travel literature and aesthetic criticism to convey awe and risk at great altitudes.
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Words that rhyme with "Vertiginous"
-ous sounds
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