Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sternly

/ˈstɝnli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.59 in modern English

Syllables
stern-ly
IPA
/ˈstɝnli/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a stern manner.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English sternly, sternely, sterneliche, sturnely, sturneliche, from Old English stirnlīċe, styrnlīċe, stiernlīċe (“harshly; severely; sternly”), equivalent to stern + -ly.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈstɝnli/
  • British English: /ˈstɜːnli/

Inflected Forms

more sternly (comparative) sternlier (comparative, poetic) most sternly (superlative) sternliest (poetic, rare)

Synonyms

severely

Rhymes With

burnley

Questions

How do you pronounce sternly?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈstɝnli/.
What does sternly mean?
In a stern manner.
Where does sternly come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sternly

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