English pronunciation · Words Starting with C

Consciousness Pronunciation

Consciousness is pronounced KAHN-shuhs-nuhs, IPA /ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/.

KAHN-shuhs-nuhs

US /ˈkɑnʃəsnəs/  ·  UK /ˈkɒnʃəsnəs/

Syllables: KAHN · shuhs · nuhs (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)

noun: The state of being awake and aware of yourself and your surroundings.

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Consciousness in a Sentence

  • He lost consciousness for about a minute after the fall.
  • The book asks where consciousness comes from.
  • Climate risk has entered public consciousness in the last decade.

Common Mispronunciations of Consciousness

Not kon-SHUHS-nuhs

Open loud on KAHN and let the two endings trail. Moving the punch to the middle stretches the word out of shape.

Not KAHN-shee-uhs-nuhs

Read scious as a single shuhs. Four syllables is one too many; the word runs KAHN-shuhs-nuhs.

Tip: Two s-heavy endings sit back to back, shuhs then nuhs. Say them as separate beats rather than letting them slide into one.

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