Accounts refers to records or statements of financial transactions, or to stories or explanations of events. In finance or business, it denotes records kept for individuals or organizations; in narrative use, it means recountings. The word emphasizes documentation, balance, and chronological recording, often used in plural form to indicate multiple records or tales.
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"I checked my accounts to reconcile the balance."
"The company's accounts show a healthy profit this quarter."
"She opened several personal and business accounts at the bank."
"The journalist kept detailed accounts of the negotiations."
Accounts comes from the Old French acomt, from late Latin computa, from Latin computare meaning to reckon or calculate. The English form developed through Middle English, with the sense of reckoning or accounting after the Norman conquest. The plural noun accounts emerged to denote multiple reckonings, statements, or narratives. In accounting, “account” broadened to include any record of financial transactions, from debits and credits to balances and summaries. The term has long historical ties to bookkeeping, auditing, and the dissemination of financial information to stakeholders. Early uses in English often referred to narrated reports or explanations, evolving to the modern, specialized sense within business and finance by the 15th–18th centuries. By 17th–18th centuries, accounts in commerce referred explicitly to ledgers and summaries used to prepare financial statements. Over time, the word extended metaphorically to “accounts” of events or experiences, as in telling a story or giving a narrative account of something. In contemporary usage, accounts concurrently cover financial records and narrative descriptions, retaining both senses in law, banking, journalism, and everyday speech.
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Words that rhyme with "accounts"
-nts sounds
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Pronounce it as /əˈkaʊnts/ in US English, with primary stress on the second syllable: a-KOUNDS. Break it into two syllables after the initial schwa: uh-kownts. Tongue rises to form the diphthong /aʊ/ in the second syllable; the final /nts/ is a crisp, voiceless cluster. In careful speech, you’ll hear the first syllable reduced to a light /ə/ before the stressed /aʊ/ in the second syllable. For UK and AU, commonly /ˈækaʊnts/ or /əˈkaʊnts/ with similar stress, but some speakers may use a stronger /æ/ in the first syllable depending on regional variation.
Two frequent errors are misplacing the stress (saying /æˈkaʊnts/ or /əˈkaʊnts/ with wrong stress) and flattening the /aʊ/ diphthong to a simple /a/ or /eɪ/. Correction: keep the primary stress on the second syllable and articulate the /aʊ/ as a proper diphthong from /a/ to /ʊ/ toward /uː/. Also avoid vocalizing the final /nts/ as /nt/ or dropping the /s/; clearly release the final /t/ and add the /s/.
In US English, you typically hear /əˈkaʊnts/ with a lighter initial syllable and a clear /aʊ/. UK/Irish often use /ˈækaʊnts/ or /əˈkaʊnts/, with a more open front vowel in the first syllable and sometimes less rhoticity influence. Australian tends toward /ˈækaʊnts/ or /əˈkaʊnts/ with non-rhotic tendencies and a broader vowel in /æ/. Across all, stress remains on the second syllable, but vowel quality and the degree of vowel reduction can vary regionally.
The difficulty centers on the diphthong /aʊ/ in the stressed syllable and the final consonant cluster /nts/. The /aʊ/ requires a smooth glide from open /a/ to rounded /ʊ/ while maintaining precise timing so the /n/ and /t/ don’t blend or become a single alveolar stop. The final /s/ should be audible without delaying the release. In fast speech, you’re tempted to reduce or flatten the vowel or blend /nts/; focus on maintaining distinct syllables.
A distinctive feature is the two-syllable rhythm with secondary stability on the first syllable when not reduced: either /ˈækaʊnts/ or /əˈkaʊnts/ with a clear /kaʊ/ nucleus. The /aʊ/ diphthong’s starting point differs slightly by accent; you’ll notice the timing of the /n/ and the release before /ts/. In careful speech, you’ll keep the /t/ as a light release before the final /s/, avoiding assimilations that turn /nts/ into a single /nts/ cluster.
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