ladiesinwaiting
Syllables
la-dies-in-wait-ing
Pronunciation
/ˌleɪdiːz ɪn ˈweɪtɪŋ/
Stress
01010
Morphemes
ladies, wait + ing
The word 'ladies-in-waiting' is a compound noun divided into five syllables: la-dies-in-wait-ing. Primary stress falls on 'wait', with secondary stress on 'la'. It's morphologically composed of 'ladies', 'in', and 'waiting', with the '-ing' suffix. Syllabification follows vowel and consonant cluster rules, adjusted for the compound structure and hyphenation.
Definitions
- 1
Women who attend to a female member of a royal household or a noblewoman.
“The queen's ladies-in-waiting accompanied her on the state visit.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the third syllable ('wait'), and secondary stress on the first syllable ('la'). The remaining syllables are unstressed.
Syllables
la — Open syllable, unstressed.. dies — Closed syllable, secondary stress.. in — Closed syllable, unstressed.. wait — Open syllable, primary stress.. ing — Closed syllable, unstressed.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel Rule
Syllables are generally formed around vowel sounds.
Consonant Cluster Rule
Consonant clusters are split to avoid creating syllables without vowels.
Compound Word Rule
Compound words are divided between their constituent parts.
Suffix Rule
Suffixes like '-ing' often form separate syllables.
- The hyphenated structure influences the syllable division, requiring separation of 'in' despite its brevity.
- The compound nature of the word affects stress placement.
Nearby Words
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