onagainoffagain
Syllables
on-a-gain-off-a-gain
Pronunciation
/ɒn əˈɡen ɒf əˈɡen/
Stress
0 0 1 0 0 1
Morphemes
on + N/A + N/A
The word 'on-again-off-again' is syllabified as on-a-gain-off-a-gain, with primary stress on the 'gain' syllables. It's a compound adjective built from prefixes and the adverb 'again', following standard vowel-consonant and compound word syllabification rules.
Definitions
- 1
Characterized by intermittent stopping and starting; unpredictable.
“Their relationship was on-again-off-again for years.”
“The engine had an on-again-off-again fault.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the second syllable of each 'again' sequence (/ˈɡen/). The other syllables are unstressed.
Syllables
on — Open syllable, unstressed.. a — Open syllable, unstressed, schwa sound.. gain — Closed syllable, primary stress.. off — Closed syllable, unstressed.. a — Open syllable, unstressed, schwa sound.. gain — Closed syllable, primary stress.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant Rule
Syllables are typically divided after vowels, especially when followed by a consonant (e.g., 'a-gain').
Compound Word Syllabification
Hyphenated compound words are divided at the hyphen, treating each part as a separate unit.
- The hyphenated structure requires treating 'on-again' and 'off-again' as units.
- The repeated structure doesn't alter the basic syllabification rules.
- Regional variations in pronunciation might slightly affect the vowel sounds, but not the syllable division.
Nearby Words
17 wordsTrending in English (GB)
Terms getting hyphenated by users right now.