English pronunciation · Words Starting with C

Cuneiform Pronunciation

Cuneiform is pronounced KYOO-nee-uh-fawrm, IPA /ˈkjuniəˌfɔrm/.

KYOO-nee-uh-fawrm

US /ˈkjuniəˌfɔrm/  ·  UK /ˈkʌneɪˌfɔːm/

Syllables: KYOO · nee · uh · fawrm (4 syllables, stress on syllable 1)

noun and adjective: The wedge shaped writing system pressed into clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia.

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Cuneiform in a Sentence

  • The museum holds a clay tablet covered in cuneiform.
  • Scholars spent decades learning to read cuneiform script.
  • Sumerian was the first language written in cuneiform.

Common Mispronunciations of Cuneiform

Not koo-NAY-form

Give the c a y glide. The cu opens as kyoo, the same way it does in cute and cubic, and the weight stays at the front of the word rather than moving to the second syllable.

Not KYOO-nay-form

Read the ei as two separate vowels. It is nee plus uh, not a single ay, which is why the word runs to four syllables.

Tip: Four parts, front loaded: KYOO-nee-uh-fawrm. British speakers often say KYOO-nay-fawrm instead.

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