shillyshallying
The word 'shilly-shallying' is divided into five syllables: shil-ly-shal-ly-ing. The primary stress falls on 'shal'. It's a gerund formed from the imitative root 'shilly-shally' with the progressive suffix '-ing'. Syllabification follows standard VC division and separation of repeated elements.
Definitions
- 1
The act of hesitating or evading a decision; indecisiveness.
“He was just shilly-shallying, hoping the problem would go away on its own.”
“Stop shilly-shallying and make a decision!”
Stress pattern
Primary stress falls on the third syllable ('shal'). Other syllables are unstressed.
Syllables
shil — Open syllable, initial syllable.. ly — Open syllable, unstressed.. shal — Open syllable, primary stressed syllable.. ly — Open syllable, unstressed.. ing — Nasal syllable, suffix, unstressed.
Word Parts
Similar Words
Vowel-Consonant (VC) Division
Syllables are often divided before a vowel-consonant sequence.
Repeated Elements
Repeated elements are typically separated into distinct syllables.
Suffix Division
Suffixes like '-ing' are generally separated into their own syllable.
- The word's imitative origin and the repetition of 'shilly-shally' influence the syllabification.
Nearby Words
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