How to pronounce spontaneous
American English pronunciation
spon-TAY-nee-us
- IPA
- /spɑnˈteɪni.əs/
- Syllables
- spon · TAY · nee · us (4 syllables, stress on the 2nd)
Love words? Try a free round: no sign-up, about two minutes. Play free
What spontaneous means
Done just because you feel like it, without planning ahead
In a sentence: On a sunny Sunday, we took a spontaneous trip to the beach.
Where it comes from: It was borrowed from the Latin word spontaneus, which meant "done freely, by your own choice."
Can you spot the real meaning? Try one
Loading a word…
Compare: spontaneous and improvise
Improvise is making something up because there is no plan; spontaneous describes doing something freely just because you feel like it.
See also: improvise
Compare: spontaneous and impulse
An impulse is the sudden urge itself; spontaneous describes an action done freely, without planning.
See also: impulse
Can you spot the real meaning? Play Wordfib
One free round, no sign-up. Wordfib shows a word and four meanings: one real, three fibs.