HOW TO PRONOUNCE
ephemeral
/ɪˈfɛmɚəl/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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The second syllable, “fem,” is strongest.
The ph in ephemeral sounds like f. In the four-syllable pronunciation ih-FEM-er-uhl, keep the opening vowel light and let the two syllables after the main stress fall away gently.
4 syllables · Stress on syllable 2
TRY SAYING
“The installation celebrates ephemeral beauty.”
APG practice sentence · CC BY-SA 4.0
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗What does ephemeral mean?
adjective
- Lasting for a short period of time.
- Existing for only one day, as with some flowers, insects, and diseases.
- Usually dry, but filling with water for brief periods during and after precipitation.
More meanings (1)
noun
- Something which lasts for a short period of time.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ɪˈfɛmɚəl/
Pronunciation used in the listening tip.
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
It is an Abode of Fancy inasmuch as it is an ephemeral structure built to house a poetic impulse.
The consequence is that no opinion succeeds in becoming widespread, and that the existence of all of them is ephemeral.
More book examples (3)
Judge whether the wild little cymbals can ever be loud enough "to celebrate such felicity, so well earned and so ephemeral"!
A man is to carry himself in the presence of all opposition, as if everything were titular and ephemeral but he.
These tinctured the silent bosom of the clouds above them and lit up their ephemeral caves, which seemed thenceforth to become scalding caldrons.