Absentia pronunciation
Absentia has 3 syllables. The stress is on the second syllable, "sehn". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
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Absentia syllables
Absentia has 3 syllables: ab-SEHN-shuh.
- abæb
- SEHNsɛn
- shuhʃə
Ab-SEN-shuh, three syllables, stress on "sen". The "-tia" ending is "shuh", as in "inertia" — it is almost always heard in the legal phrase "in absentia".
Sounds to watch
Weak syllables
The unstressed syllables use a short, relaxed uh (schwa). Rushing through them lightly is correct; giving them a full vowel sounds unnatural.
The a in cat
Open the jaw wider than for eh and spread the lips slightly. The a in cat is a distinct vowel, not eh or ah.
The sh sound
Sh is made further back than s, with the lips slightly rounded and the tongue lower. Keep it separate from s: "shun" is not "sun".
Absentia in a sentence
- The court tried him in absentia after he fled the country.
- She was awarded the prize in absentia and collected it a year later.
Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.
What Speakeroo listens for
These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.
- Stress placed on the wrong syllableMake the correct syllable longer, clearer and more prominent.
- 'sh' /ʃ/ too soft or unclearRound the lips slightly and produce continuous air along the centre of the tongue.
- Schwa not reducedRelax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
- Every syllable stressed equallyEmphasise one main syllable and reduce the others.
Questions
How do you pronounce absentia?
Absentia is pronounced /æb.ˈsɛn.ʃə/, or ab-SEHN-shuh in plain letters. It has 3 syllables and the stress falls on the second syllable, "sehn".
How many syllables are in absentia?
3: ab-SEHN-shuh. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use absentia in a sentence?
The court tried him in absentia after he fled the country. She was awarded the prize in absentia and collected it a year later.
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