WEE-klee
/ˈwikli/
weekly is pronounced WEE-klee (/ˈwikli/). Weekly describes something that occurs once every seven days or a list or schedule associated with the week. It also functions as an adjective meaning ‘of or occurring in a week.’ In everyday use, it often signals routine recurrences or planning within the weekly cycle. The term is common across business, media, and personal life contexts.
Weekly describes something that occurs once every seven days or a list or schedule associated with the week. It also functions as an adjective meaning ‘of or occurring in a week.’ In everyday use, it often signals routine recurrences or planning within the weekly cycle. The term is common across business, media, and personal life contexts.
- You may lengthen or mispronounce the second syllable; ensure the second vowel is a clear /i/ and not a schwa. - Avoid conflating weekly with weakly; the first syllable should be long and tense (/wiː/), not lax (/wɪ/). - Do not drop the /k/ before the /l/ in rapid speech; keep a crisp /k/ closure before the /l/ to avoid a slurred transition. - In connected speech, be mindful of the word boundary; use a crisp stop before the /l/ so the syllables stay distinct even in rapid dialogue.
"We hold a weekly team meeting every Tuesday."
"She subscribes to a weekly magazine."
"The weekly forecast updates every morning."
Pronounce as /ˈwiːk.li/ in US and UK; the first syllable has a long /iː/ like in “we,” followed by a clear /k/ and a light /l/ before a final /i/. The stress sits on the first syllable: WEEK-lee. Think “WEAK-lee” but with an /i/ vowel in the second syllable. If you’re listening, you’ll hear a crisp stop before the /l/ in careful speech. IPA reference: US/UK /ˈwiːk.li/. Audio cue: start with a long E, close lips, release with a palatal /k/ and a light /l/ before a short, crisp /i/.
Two frequent errors: (1) treating the first syllable as /wɪk/ with a short, lax vowel instead of the long /iː/. Correct by elongating the vowel to /iː/ and keeping the /k/ before the /l/. (2) Dropping the /i/ in the second syllable or making it a schwa; keep a clear /li/ to avoid ‘weakly.’ Practice: /ˈwiːk.li/ with equal timing, not /ˈwɪk.li/ or /ˈwiːk.lə/.
US/UK/AU share /ˈwiːk.li/ with primary stress on first syllable; differences lie in rhoticity and vowel quality. US /r/ influences not in this word, but US tends to a slightly tighter /iː/ and crisper /l/; UK typically maintains a non-rhotic accent with slightly longer vowel duration before /l/; AU may have a marginally broader /iː/ and a more relaxed mouth posture. Overall, the core pronunciation remains /ˈwiːk.li/ across accents, with subtle timbre differences rather than changes in phonemes.
The challenge lies in the rapid shift from a long, tense /iː/ to a light, pallid /l/ immediately followed by a quick /i/. The /ki/ cluster requires precise tongue position: the back of the tongue contacts the soft palate for /k/ while the body of the tongue lowers for the /l/. Beginners often compress or elide the second syllable, or turn /iː/ into a short vowel. Slow, deliberate practice helps you maintain the long first vowel and a crisp, clear /li/.
The word presents a straightforward closed syllable in the first syllable /wiːk/ followed by a light /li/ in the second syllable. The key is keeping the two syllables distinct and maintaining stress on the first. The rising cadence from /wiːk/ to /li/ helps listeners parse the word quickly in speech; avoid running the /li/ into the boundary with the /k/. IPA: /ˈwiː.kli/.
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- US: maintain a tighter, slightly reticent /iː/ and pronounced /k/ followed by a clear /l/ and /i/, with non-rhotic tendencies not affecting this word. - UK: a clearer vowel quality with a slightly longer vowel duration before the /l/, and a more prominent final /i/ sound. - AU: a more open /iː/ and a relaxed mouth posture; ensure you don’t reduce the /li/ to a quick, under-articulated arch. IPA references: /ˈwiː.kli/ across accents; note subtle variabilities in vowel length and lip rounding.
Weekly originates from the Old English word wædeles? but more accurately from weekly in the sense of ‘per week’ as two components: week + -ly (an adverbial/ adjectival suffix). The noun week derives from Proto-Germanic *wikōn? and Proto-Indo-European roots connected to time cycles; the modern form weekly emerged in Middle English and became established in Early Modern English as a common adverbial and adjectival modifier meaning ‘occurring every week.’ The semantic evolution tracks the standard pattern of time-denoting adverbs formed with -ly from nouns of time (day, week, month) and the increasing routine use in commerce and scheduling from the 15th-17th centuries onward. First known use as a standalone descriptor in print appears in late medieval English, with broader standardization by the 1600s as calendars and weekly timetables became ubiquitous. The word’s meaning has remained stable—recurring on a weekly basis—though idiomatic uses expanded to imply regular cadence (a weekly routine, a weekly magazine, a weekly report).
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Words that rhyme with "weekly"
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