Accrues means to gradually gain or accumulate, especially in financial or legal terms (as income, interest, or rights) over time. The sense is accumulating value or benefits, often as a result of continued action or investment. It implies natural growth that occurs when things are allowed to accumulate without forceful extraction. The term commonly appears in finance, law, and accounting contexts.
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- You will encounter two main pronunciation challenges with accrues: ensuring the long vowel /ruː/ is crisp and not shortened, and producing the final voiced /z/ rather than a voiceless /s/.Correction tips: practice the two parts separately: 1) isolate /əˈkruː/ with a full, rounded /uː/; 2) add a clear final /z/ by voicing the vocal cords at the end. - The schwa before /k/ is subtle in fast speech; practice saying ‘uh-KROOZ’ slowly, then gradually speed up while keeping the schwa audible. - Be mindful of connected speech; when spoken in a sentence, the /r/ may link to the next word; keep /r/ sounding natural and not swallowed.
US: rhotic, clear /r/ and a stronger linking to the following word; /əˈkruːz/ in many contexts. UK: often less rhotic in careful speech; /əˈkruːz/ with slightly crisper front vowels. AU: tends to be rhotic in careful speech; maintain /əˈkruːz/ with a rounded vowel. All share the /ruː/ as a long vowel; the final /z/ is voiced in all accents. Use IPA references and emphasize the schwa and the final voiced fricative.
"The interest on the bond accrues daily and compounds over time."
"If you invest early, the benefits accrue to you as the portfolio grows."
"Legal costs accrue if the dispute drags on, increasing the total settlement amount."
"Over years, small savings accrue, transforming into a substantial fund."
Accrue enters English via Old French accrouver, from Late Latin adcro- or -cro-, rooted in cro- meaning to bend or incline, with the sense of lying in wait or growing. It developed in legal and financial jargon to denote the recognition of income or rights as they arise, rather than when paid or claimed. By the 14th–15th centuries, accrual concepts appeared in accounting and property law in medieval Europe, shifting to modern financial language in the 18th and 19th centuries as interest, rents, and entitlements began to be described as accruing over time. The verb form accrues traces its evolution from the Latin ad- (toward) plus the root cro- (to bend or grow), later morphing through Norman and Middle English iterations into the present-day term meaning “to come into existence or to accumulate.” The noun accrual became common in accounting to denote the process, and the verb today retains emphasis on gradual, passive increase rather than immediate action. First known uses appear in legal and clerical records of medieval Europe, where balances, rents, and obligations accrued automatically as time passed.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "accrues" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "accrues"
-ues sounds
-ews sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as ə-KROOZ (stress on the second syllable). IPA US/UK/AU: /əˈkruːz/. Start with a schwa, then a clear /k/ + rounded /ruː/ vowel, and end with /z/. Think: ‘uh-KROOZ’ with a long 'oo' like in ‘ooze’ but ending with a voiced /z/.
Common errors: 1) Slurring the /k/ and /r/ together or softening the /k/; ensure a crisp /k/ followed by /r/ without intrusion. 2) Dropping the vowel: pronounce the initial schwa clearly as /ə/ before /ˈkruːz/. 3) Ending with a voiceless sound: avoid pronouncing the final as /s/; use a voiced /z/ to match the final /z/ in accrues. Correct by isolating the vowel, then gliding into /ruː/ and finishing with /z/.
In US/UK/AU, the rhythm is similar: the main difference is vowel quality and rhoticity. US and AU typically maintain a rhotic /r/ coloring in linked speech, with /ˈkruː/ vowels. UK RP may have slightly shorter rhotic development or less pronounced /r/ in non-rhotic positions; the final /z/ remains voiced in all. Overall, US / əˈkruːz /, UK / əˈkruːz /, AU / əˈkruːz /. The main variation is how clearly the /r/ is produced in connected speech and the forward tension of the vowel.
Two main challenges: the vowel length and quality in /ruː/ can vary with speed, and the transition from the schwa to /k/ to /r/ can cause a slight cluster mispronunciation. Additionally, the final /z/ is voiced, not the softer /s/. When you speak quickly, the /ə/ may collapse; keep a clear schwa before /ˈkruːz/ to maintain correct vowel duration and voice.
Yes. The stress is on the second syllable: ac-CRUES. The first syllable is unstressed with a weak schwa, which can be reduced in fast speech. Keep the stress on /ˈkruː/ and ensure the nucleus of the word centers on /ruː/. The limp in certain fast speech might hide the schwa, but the accuracy comes from maintaining the second-syllable prominence.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "accrues"!
- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker reading sentences containing accrues and imitate exactly, focusing on the second-syllable stress and final /z/. - Minimal pairs: accrue vs accrue with different endings? For accrues, practice with accrew vs accrues? Use other words: cruises vs accrue vs accrues; not identical but can firm up /ruː/ lip rounding. - Rhythm: practice slow syllable-timed speech: ə-ˈkruːz, then normal speed. - Stress: maintain primary stress on second syllable; use musicality to emphasize /ˈkruː/. - Recording: record yourself saying multiple sentences; compare to model; adjust voicing of final /z/.
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