middleoftheroad
The word 'middle-of-the-road' is divided into five syllables: mid-dle-of-the-road. The primary stress falls on the first syllable ('mid'). The syllabification follows the principles of maximizing onsets and ensuring each syllable contains a vowel sound. It's a compound adjective with Old English roots.
Definitions
- 1
Lacking in originality or excitement; conventional or unadventurous.
“His views were decidedly middle-of-the-road.”
“The restaurant served middle-of-the-road cuisine.”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the first syllable ('mid'). The remaining syllables are unstressed.
Syllables
mid — Open syllable, stressed.. dle — Closed syllable, unstressed.. of — Open syllable, unstressed.. the — Open syllable, unstressed.. road — Closed syllable, unstressed.
Maximize Onsets
Syllables are divided to create the largest possible consonant clusters at the beginning of each syllable.
Vowel Sound Principle
Each syllable must contain a vowel sound.
- The hyphenated nature of the phrase requires treating each hyphenated element as a separate word for syllabification, but the overall phrase is considered a single unit for stress assignment.
Nearby Words
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