YUHNG-guhst
/ˈjʌŋɡəst/
youngest is pronounced YUHNG-guhst (/ˈjʌŋɡəst/). Youngest is the superlative form of 'young,' referring to the smallest age group within a group or the last-born among siblings. It denotes the newest or most junior member in a sequence, ranking lowest in age or seniority. In everyday use, it often describes birth order, but can also describe the youngest of a set, such as tasks, players, or participants in a competition.
Youngest is the superlative form of 'young,' referring to the smallest age group within a group or the last-born among siblings. It denotes the newest or most junior member in a sequence, ranking lowest in age or seniority. In everyday use, it often describes birth order, but can also describe the youngest of a set, such as tasks, players, or participants in a competition.
"The youngest child in the family asks the most questions."
"In their class, she is the youngest student."
"They saved the youngest actor for the final scene."
You pronounce it as /ˈjʌŋɡəst/ in US English or /ˈjɒŋɡəst/ in UK/AU variants. The primary stress is on the first syllable: YOUNG-est. Start with the consonant cluster /j/ (as in yes), then the nasal /ŋ/ (as in ring), followed by the /ɡ/ and a schwa /ə/ before the final /st/. Keep the /ŋ/ nasal clean and the /st/ crisp.
Common errors include softening the /ŋ/ to an /n/ sound (yor-jet style) and misplacing stress, causing it to sound like /ˈjʌnɡəst/ or /ˈjuːŋɡəst/. Another pitfall is pronouncing /j/ and /ɔ/ as a diphthong in rapid speech. Correct by maintaining /ŋ/ as a velar nasal, keeping /j/ as a brief consonant followed by /ɒ/ or /ɒ/ in non-rhotic regions, and ensuring a clean /st/ at the end.
US: /ˈjʌŋɡəst/ with rhotic non-rhotics not affecting this word; short /ʌ/ as in 'strut'. UK: /ˈjɒŋɡəst/ with shorter /ɒ/ and non-rhotic linkage; AU: /ˈjɒŋɡəst/ similar to UK but with Australian vowel quality that can be broader and slightly more centralized. Across accents the main difference is the vowel in the first syllable (/ʌ/ vs /ɒ/) and the possible length of the first vowel, while final consonants remain /ɡ/ and /st/.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /ŋɡ/ where the nasal and stop demand precise tongue position—tip for /j/ before the velar nasal, and avoiding an intrusive vowel between /ɡ/ and /ə/. The final /st/ requires crisp articulation to prevent a slurred or clipped end, especially in fast speech. Additionally, the initial /j/ and the presence of stress on first syllable mean you must deliver a strong onset and steady vowel quality to prevent a lazy /ə/ or /ɪ/ substitute.
A unique concern is maintaining a precise syllable boundary between /ŋɡ/ and /ə/ in rapid speech. Some speakers might glitch into /jəŋ/ or merge /ŋɡ/ into a single sound. Quick check: after the /ŋ/, deliberately insert a short /ɡ/ release into the /g/ and then an unstressed /ə/ before /st/. Visualize it as three distinct phonemes: /j/ - /ɔ/ or /ɒ/ - /ŋ/ - /ɡ/ - /ə/ - /st/.
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The word youngest derives from Old English geong + -est, forming geongest, meaning ‘most young.’ Over time, geongest contracted to youngest. The root geong is related to German jung, Dutch jong, all tracing back to Proto-Germanic *jungaz, meaning young or youthful. The suffix -est is a superlative marker used in Old and Middle English to form adjectives indicating the highest degree or most of a quality. The transition to Modern English retained the same meaning: most young or least age, though now imbued with more figurative uses (e.g., the youngest in a group, the youngest designer). First known use can be traced to Middle English texts, with stable spelling by Early Modern English. Throughout centuries, the word has maintained a straightforward morphology: youngest = young + -est, with the difficulty lying in the consonant cluster /j/, /ŋ/, and the final /st/.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "youngest" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "youngest"
-est sounds
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