You’re listening to Lingo Phoenix’s word of the day for February 8.

Today’s word is constraint, spelled c-o-n-s-t-r-a-i-n-t. The stress mark in this word falls on the second syllable. Constraint is a countable noun that means “something that limits your freedom.” It’s a synonym of the word “restriction.”

Here’s the word used in a sentence:

Financial constraints on the company are preventing them from employing new staff.

Here’s the word used in a sentence from The Wall Street Journal by Andrew Beaton:

But in key situations, finding the optimal move can require a level of forethought that is beyond the capacity of most humans working with a time constraint.

The verb form of constraint is constrain, which means “to limit something.” For instance, “Women’s employment opportunities are often severely constrained by family commitments.”

With your word of the day, I’m Mohammad Golpayegani.

Visit our Instagram page @lingophoenix to learn how you can use today’s word in the IELTS speaking test.