emphasise

Emphasise is a verb meaning to give special importance or prominence to something, to stress or highlight it in order to draw attention or convey its significance. It can apply to spoken language, written text, or visual presentation. In speech, emphasis is produced by prosody; in writing, it can be achieved through word choice, punctuation, or typographic choices such as italics, capitalization, or spacing.

Spelling and forms vary by English variety. British English uses emphasise, while American English uses emphasize. The verb forms are emphasise, emphasises, emphasising, emphasised. The noun form is emphasis, with the plural emphases. Related terms include emphasiser (UK) or emphasizer (US). The process may be described as emphasisation or emphasization in the respective varieties.

Pronunciation is roughly /ˈɛm.fə.saɪz/ in most English varieties, with minor regional variations in stress and vowel quality.

Etymology traces emphasise to Greek emphaínein, meaning “to exhibit, to show.” The term entered English through Latin and French channels, consolidating in Middle English usage. Today, emphasise remains common in academic writing, journalism, rhetoric, and everyday communication as a means of signaling importance or drawing attention to a point or detail.