Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

iambic shortening

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables
iambic short-en-ing
IPA
26
Scrabble Score
16
Letters
3
Syllables
13
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

In Latin, the shortening of an etymologically long final vowel, in a two-syllable word where the first vowel is also short. It tended to persist in uninflected words like bene, but was levelled out in favour of inflectional regularity in other words.

Countable; Uncountable

Usage

Inflected Forms

Questions

What does iambic shortening mean?
In Latin, the shortening of an etymologically long final vowel, in a two-syllable word where the first vowel is also short. It tended to persist in uninflected words like bene, but was levelled out in favour of inflectional regularity in other words.

How to pronounce iambic shortening

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “iambic shortening”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “iambic shortening”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “iambic shortening” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.