mealymouthedness
Syllables
me-a-ly-mouth-ed-ness
Pronunciation
/ˌmiːli ˈmaʊθd.nəs/
Stress
0 0 0 1 0 0
Morphemes
mouth + ly-ed-ness
The word 'mealy-mouthedness' is divided into six syllables: me-a-ly-mouth-ed-ness. The primary stress falls on 'mouth'. It's a noun formed from the root 'mouth' with the suffixes '-ly', '-ed', and '-ness'. Syllabification follows standard English vowel-consonant and suffix division rules.
Definitions
- 1
The quality of being unwilling to speak frankly or directly, especially because of fear of causing offense. Evasiveness.
“His mealy-mouthed response suggested he was hiding something.”
“She accused him of mealy-mouthedness and demanded a straight answer.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the syllable 'mouth'. Secondary stress falls on 'me'.
Syllables
me — Open syllable, weak vowel sound.. a — Open syllable, reduced vowel sound.. ly — Closed syllable.. mouth — Closed syllable, primary stress.. ed — Closed syllable, 'e' is silent.. ness — Closed syllable.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant Division
Syllables are often divided after a vowel sound followed by a consonant sound.
Consonant Cluster Division
When a consonant cluster separates vowel sounds, the cluster is usually kept together within a syllable.
Suffix Division
Suffixes are generally separated into their own syllables.
Schwa Reduction
Unstressed vowels often reduce to a schwa sound /ə/, influencing syllable weight.
- The hyphen in 'mealy-mouthed' doesn't affect syllabification.
- Pronunciation of 'a' in 'mealy' can vary slightly.
Nearby Words
17 wordsTrending in English (GB)
Terms getting hyphenated by users right now.