What TONIC means
Bearing the principle stress, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.
That is the short version. Read on for how to say TONIC, how to use it, and a quick way to make it stick.
TONIC at a glance
- Word: TONIC
- Part of speech: adj
- Pronunciation: /ˈtɑnɪk/
- Meaning: Bearing the principle stress, usually accompanied by a change in pitch.
- Example: A tonic syllable carries the main stress in a word.
Keep this box in view while you read the rest of the page. A short summary like this is often enough for a quick lookup, and the sections below are for when you want the meaning to actually stay with you.
How to say TONIC
Pronunciation: /ˈtɑnɪk/
Part of speech: adj
Say TONIC out loud a few times. Hearing your own voice say a new word is one of the fastest ways to remember both its sound and its meaning. Try saying it slowly first, then at normal speed, then inside a full sentence. If a part of the pronunciation trips you up, slow down on that part alone before putting the whole word back together.
TONIC in a sentence
A tonic syllable carries the main stress in a word.
Notice how TONIC fits into that sentence as adj. Try swapping in your own subject and see if the sentence still makes sense. If it does, you have understood the meaning of TONIC, not just memorized it.
Ways to remember TONIC
A new word sticks better when you do something with it, not just read it.
Say it, then use it. Repeat TONIC once, then build one sentence of your own with it today.
Connect it to something you know. Think of a moment from your own week where TONIC could apply, even loosely.
Spell it out. Cover the word, spell TONIC from memory, then check. This catches the letters your eyes skipped over the first time.
Come back tomorrow. A word reviewed a day later is far more likely to stay than one read once and left.
Notice it in the wild. Once you know TONIC, you will start spotting it in things you read. Each time you notice it, the meaning gets a little more solid.
Play a board with TONIC
A definition is easier to keep once you have used the word under a little pressure. Try today's word game, or search for more words like TONIC with the word finder. Missed a word along the way? The vocabulary quiz is a quick way to check what stuck, and missed words come back around for review instead of disappearing.
For teachers and parents
This page works well as a quick reference before a lesson or a homework check. Look up a word, read the definition and example together, then ask the student to build a new sentence with it. A student who can use TONIC correctly in a sentence they made up has learned it. One who can only repeat the definition back has not, yet.
A quick classroom routine: put TONIC on the board, cover the definition, and ask the class to guess the meaning from the example sentence alone. Reveal the real definition after a few guesses. It takes a minute and gets students reasoning about context clues instead of just memorizing.
More words to learn
- Word of the day for a new word every day.
- Vocabulary quiz to test what you remember.
- How to play if you are new to the games on this site.
The letters in TONIC
- Length: 5 letters
- Vowels: 2 (O, I)
- Different letters: 5, all different
- First letter: T, last letter: C
Words built from the same letters
- COUNT: Determine the number or amount of.
- IONIC: Containing or involving or occurring in the form of ions.
- JOINT: United or combined.
- NOTCH: A V-shaped indentation.
- OPTIC: Of or relating to or resembling the eye.
- SONIC: Having or caused by speed approximately equal to that of sound in air at sea level.
- STOIC: A member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno.
- TOPIC: The subject matter of a conversation or discussion.