Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

downshift

UK /ˈdaʊnʃɪft/ · US /ˈdaʊnˌʃɪft/ noun, verb

Forms downshifts downshifting downshifted

  1. noun A change of direction or a movement downwards.
  2. noun A reduction in quality or quantity.
  3. noun A change in career or lifestyle to one which is not as well paid but less stressful and more personally rewarding.
  4. noun (automotive, cycling) A shift of a transmission into a lower gear, as dictated by heavier load on the engine, as for example when climbing a hill or strongly accelerating.
  5. verb To reduce (something) in quality or quantity (as effect, scope, speed, etc.)
  6. verb To change (one's career or lifestyle) to one which is not as well paid but less stressful and more personally rewarding.
  7. verb (automotive, cycling) To shift (a car or bicycle) into a lower gear.
  8. verb To function at a lower rate; to slacken.
  9. verb To change one's career or lifestyle to one which is not as well paid but less stressful and more personally rewarding.
  10. verb (automotive, cycling) To shift a transmission into a lower gear. “In a stick-shift vehicle, the driver must downshift when necessary; in an automatic, the transmission downshifts as needed.”

Synonyms

attenuate

Antonyms

upshift

Etymology

The noun is derived from down (preposition) + shift (“slight change or movement”). The verb is derived from the noun.

Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “downshift”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details