emphasis

Special importance or focus
noun
communication
neutral
Special attention or importance given to a subject, aim, or part of something.
Usage
Use emphasis with on or upon for the thing receiving special attention, especially in plans, arguments, teaching, and policy.

Examples
The new policy puts more emphasis on affordable housing.
Her lecture gave equal emphasis to theory and practice.
The school has a strong emphasis on reading and writing.
Different departments bring different emphases to the project.
The campaign shifted its emphasis from speed to reliability.
Common mistakes
The preposition on is often replaced by in, to, or of after common verbs such as place and put.
Incorrect Correct
The report places emphasis in cost savings. The report places emphasis on cost savings.
The course has many emphasis this year. The course has many emphases this year.
The company gave an emphasis to safety. The company put an emphasis on safety.
Similar words
importance
priority
attention
focus
stress
weight
prominence
significance
Stress in speech or writing
noun
language
neutral
Extra force, prominence, or marking that makes a word, syllable, or phrase stand out.
Usage
Use emphasis for spoken stress, marked wording, and text marked to show stress, while reserving italic or bold for the visual style itself.

Examples
The emphasis falls on the second syllable.
She repeated the final word with quiet emphasis.
Italics can show emphasis in printed text.
In HTML, the element marks stress emphasis.
Changing the emphasis can change the meaning of the sentence.
Common mistakes
The phrase for emphasis is confused with decorative formatting, and emphasis is sometimes put on the wrong preposition.
Incorrect Correct
The emphasis is in the first syllable. The emphasis is on the first syllable.
Use only to make words italic. Use to mark stress emphasis, not just to make words italic.
She wrote the word with emphasis font. She put the word in italics for emphasis.
Similar words
stress
accent
prominence
force
highlighting
intonation
weight
marking

Incorrect	Correct
The report places emphasis in cost savings.	The report places emphasis on cost savings.
The course has many emphasis this year.	The course has many emphases this year.
The company gave an emphasis to safety.	The company put an emphasis on safety.

Incorrect	Correct
The emphasis is in the first syllable.	The emphasis is on the first syllable.
Use only to make words italic.	Use to mark stress emphasis, not just to make words italic.
She wrote the word with emphasis font.	She put the word in italics for emphasis.

Usage

Use emphasis on for priority or importance, and for emphasis when speech, typography, or markup makes wording stand out.

Common mistakes

Emphasis in is usually wrong for priority, where emphasis on is the normal pattern.

Etymology

From Latin emphasis, borrowed from Greek emphasis, originally appearance or show and later rhetorical significance. It comes from emphainein, meaning to show, display, or indicate.

FAQ

What does emphasis mean?

Emphasis means special importance or attention, and it can also mean the force or marking that makes a word stand out.

Is it emphasis on or emphasis in?

Emphasis on is the normal phrase for the thing receiving special importance, as in emphasis on safety.

What is emphasis in speech?

In speech, emphasis is extra force or prominence given to a word, phrase, or syllable.

What is emphasis in writing?

In writing, emphasis is a way of making text stand out, often with italics, bold type, underlining, or markup.

What is the plural of emphasis?

The plural of emphasis is emphases.

Is emphasis a verb?

No. emphasis is a noun. The verb is emphasize in American English or emphasise in British English.

Where does emphasis come from?

Emphasis came through Latin from Greek, where it was connected with showing, appearance, and suggestive expression.

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