2 syllables: Wo, men. Stress on Wo.
WIM-uhn
/ˈwɪmən/
Women is pronounced WIM-uhn (/ˈwɪmən/). It has two syllables (Wo-men), with the stress on "Wo". Women is a plural noun meaning adult human females; in everyday speech it often refers generally to adult women as a group. The singular is woman. The word surfaces with stress on the first syllable and a short, reduced second syllable, and it can be tricky due to vowel reduction and final consonant blending in connected speech.
nounWomen is a plural noun meaning adult human females; in everyday speech it often refers generally to adult women as a group. The singular is woman. The word surfaces with stress on the first syllable and a short, reduced second syllable, and it can be tricky due to vowel reduction and final consonant blending in connected speech.
"The women in the workshop agreed on the plan."
"We met several women who work in technology."
"The award honored a group of remarkable women."
Pronounce as two syllables: WIM-ən, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈwɪ.mɪn/. Begin with a short, lax 'wi' as in win, then a quick neutral schwa-like 'ə' or a reduced 'i' before the final 'n'. In connected speech, the second vowel often reduces further to a light, almost unstressed 'ɪ' or 'ə'. Audio references: consult Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries for native pronunciations; you can also hear it as /ˈwɪ.mən/ in some rapid speech variants.
Common errors include pronouncing the second syllable with a full vowel (e.g., ‘WO-men’), or over-articulating the second syllable as a separate strong syllable. Another frequent mistake is misplacing the stress on the second syllable or turning it into /ˈwoʊmən/ due to analogies with 'woman'. Corrections: keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈwɪ/; reduce the second syllable to a quick /ən/ or /mən/ depending on pace; practice with minimal pairs like 'woman' vs 'women' and use quick, contracted speech in connected contexts.
In all three accents the primary stress remains on the first syllable. US and UK tend to reduce the second vowel to a schwa or a reduced vowel: /ˈwɪ.mən/. Australian English often features a slightly more centralized schwa in the second syllable and a crisp final /n/, with minor differences in vowel quality. Rhoticity is not a major factor for this word, but you may hear subtle vowel length differences in careful speech across regions. Overall, expect /ˈwɪ.mən/ with minor vowel quality shifts.
The challenge lies in vowel reduction and final consonant blending. The first syllable carries the primary stress, while the second syllable reduces to a weak vowel or schwa and often links to the final /n/ with reduced articulation. Non-native speakers may overemphasize the second syllable or mispronounce the final consonant cluster, making it sound like 'women' with two emphasized syllables. Focus on a crisp first syllable and a quick, almost inaudible second, then finalize with a clear /n/.
The unique factor is the contrast between a clearly stressed first syllable and a heavily reduced second syllable, which often becomes almost inaudible in fluent speech. This creates a two-syllable rhythm with a strong initial beat and a quick, subdued ending. Remember the sequencing: strong /wɪ/ then a reduced /mən/ or /mɪn/ depending on pace. Mark the boundary with slight length on the first syllable to preserve clarity.
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Women comes from the Old English word wīfmann, meaning a female person or wife. This composite blended wīf (woman, wife) and mann (person, human). Over time, the pronunciation shifted, with wīfmann reducing to wīmen and later to women in Middle English. The pluralization reflects the English tendency to form irregular plurals from compound terms, ultimately yielding the modern pronunciation /ˈwɪmɪn/ in general usage. Historically, the word carried connotations tied to gender roles (wife, woman) before broadening to refer to adult females collectively. The first known written appearances appear in various Middle English texts, with the modern spelling standardized by Early Modern English period. As with many English words, the pronunciation evolved through vowel shifts and ease of articulation in rapid speech, contributing to the common modern reduction of the second syllable’s vowel and the final consonant cluster.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Women" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Women"
-men sounds
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