Consciousness pronunciation
Consciousness has 3 syllables. The stress is on the first syllable, "kahn". Capital letters in the respelling show where the stress falls.
Say consciousness and check it
Free, in the browser, no account needed. The clip is checked and then deleted.
Press record, say "consciousness" once or twice at normal speed, then stop. You will see which syllables matched and what to change.
Consciousness syllables
Consciousness has 3 syllables: KAHN-shuhs-nuhs.
- KAHNkɑn
- shuhsʃəs
- nuhsnəs
KON-shus-nus, three syllables, stress on the first. The "sci" is a single "sh" sound; the middle syllable is a quick "shus".
The -s ending adds a syllable, pronounced iz, because the base word ends in a hissing sound.
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 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".
Consciousness in a sentence
- He lost consciousness for a few seconds after the fall.
- The novel is written as a stream of consciousness.
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.
- Final -s ending unclearUse the correct /s/, /z/ or /ɪz/ ending and keep it audible.
- 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.
- Final consonant omittedHold the final mouth position briefly without adding another vowel.
- Schwa not reducedRelax unstressed vowels toward a short neutral sound.
Questions
How do you pronounce consciousness?
Consciousness is pronounced /ˈkɑn.ʃəs.nəs/, or KAHN-shuhs-nuhs in plain letters. It has 3 syllables and the stress falls on the first syllable, "kahn".
How many syllables are in consciousness?
3: KAHN-shuhs-nuhs. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
How do you use consciousness in a sentence?
He lost consciousness for a few seconds after the fall. The novel is written as a stream of consciousness.
How is the ending of consciousness pronounced?
The -s ending adds a syllable, pronounced iz, because the base word ends in a hissing sound.
Practice full sentences with feedback
Every practice mode is free and starts in your browser. A free account adds session history and progress tracking so you can see the same feedback improve over time.