goodfornothing
The word 'good-for-nothing' is divided into four syllables: good-for-no-thing, with primary stress on the final syllable 'thing'. It's a compound word with a descriptive adjective/noun function, and its syllabification follows standard English vowel-consonant and diphthong-consonant division rules.
Definitions
- 1
Worthless or despicable; having no value or usefulness.
“He's a good-for-nothing layabout.”
“Don't waste your time on good-for-nothings.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the final syllable, 'thing'.
Syllables
good — Open syllable, vowel followed by a consonant.. for — Open syllable, vowel followed by a consonant.. no — Open syllable, diphthong followed by a consonant.. thing — Closed syllable, consonant cluster followed by a vowel and consonant.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant
Syllables are typically divided after a vowel when followed by a consonant.
Diphthong-Consonant
Diphthongs are treated as a single vowel sound and followed by a consonant.
Consonant Cluster-Vowel-Consonant
Syllables are divided around consonant clusters followed by a vowel and consonant.
- The hyphenated nature of the word doesn't alter the standard syllabification rules for each component.
- Potential reduction of 'for' to /fə/ in connected speech is a phonetic variation, not a syllabic change.
Nearby Words
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