Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

continuum

/kənˈtɪnjuəm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.42 in modern English

Syllables: con-tin-u-um
IPA: /kənˈtɪnjuəm/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A continuous series or whole, no part of which is noticeably different from its adjacent parts, although the ends or extremes of it are very different from each other.

noun

A continuous extent.

noun

The nondenumerable set of real numbers; more generally, any compact connected metric space.

noun

A touch-sensitive strip, similar to an electronic standard musical keyboard, except that the note steps are ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a semitone, and so are not separately marked.

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: spectrum"
"So, the white line implies Blacklessness and the black background implies Whitelessness – that is, once the white line, a continuum, has emerged from blackness, also a continuum, and the two continua engage in an “inter-penetrative” (Buddhist term) process."
"In fact, the influence of signage in a certain area may exist anywhere on a continuum from profoundly effective to utterly trivial or completely insignificant, irrespective of the intent motivating the signs."
"A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin continuum, neuter form of continuus, from contineō (“contain, enclose”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: continuum

Inflected Forms

continuums (plural) continua (plural)

Derived Forms

anticontinuum continuumlike discontinuum hypercontinuum quasicontinuum subcontinuum supercontinuum

Phrases

continuum hypothesis continuum mechanics continuum theory dialect continuum generalized continuum hypothesis language continuum post-creole continuum

Frequently Paired Words

continuous

Synonyms

spectrum ℝ

Questions

How do you pronounce continuum?: The recorded pronunciation is /kənˈtɪnjuəm/.
What does continuum mean?: A continuous series or whole, no part of which is noticeably different from its adjacent parts, although the ends or extremes of it are very different from each other.
Where does continuum come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce continuum

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “continuum”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kənˈtɪnjuəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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