mealymouthedness
Syllables
me-a-ly-mouth-ed-ness
Pronunciation
/ˌmiːli ˈmaʊθdənəs/
Stress
010101
Morphemes
mouth + ly-ed-ness
The word 'mealy-mouthedness' is divided into six syllables: me-a-ly-mouth-ed-ness. It's a noun formed from the root 'mouth' with the suffixes '-ly', '-ed', and '-ness'. The primary stress falls on the second syllable ('mouth'). Syllabification follows standard vowel-consonant and consonant-vowel-consonant rules, with suffixes forming separate syllables.
Definitions
- 1
The quality of being unwilling to speak frankly or directly; evasiveness.
“His mealy-mouthedness during the investigation raised suspicions.”
“She accused him of mealy-mouthedness and a lack of courage.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress on the second syllable ('mouth'), secondary stress on the first syllable ('me').
Syllables
me — Open syllable, vowel sound.. a — Open syllable, schwa sound.. ly — Open syllable, vowel sound.. mouth — Closed syllable, diphthong.. ed — Closed syllable, consonant sound.. ness — Closed syllable, schwa sound.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant (VC)
Syllables are often divided after a vowel sound followed by a consonant sound.
Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC)
Syllables are often divided before and after a consonant sound between two vowel sounds.
Suffix Division
Suffixes are generally separated into their own syllables.
- The hyphen in 'mealy-mouthed' doesn't affect syllabification. The silent 'e' in '-ed' influences pronunciation but not orthographic syllable division.
Nearby Words
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