3 syllables: A, chieve, ment. Stress on chieve.
uh-CHEEV-muhnt
/əˈtʃivmənt/
Achievement is pronounced uh-CHEEV-muhnt (/əˈtʃivmənt/). It has three syllables (A-chieve-ment), with the stress on "chieve". Achievement is the act or result of successfully reaching a desired objective, often marked by notable effort, skill, or progress. It denotes a completed goal or milestone and can refer to personal, academic, or professional success, sometimes celebrated or recognized publicly. The term carries nuance about overcoming challenges and the attainment itself as a tangible outcome.
nounAchievement is the act or result of successfully reaching a desired objective, often marked by notable effort, skill, or progress. It denotes a completed goal or milestone and can refer to personal, academic, or professional success, sometimes celebrated or recognized publicly. The term carries nuance about overcoming challenges and the attainment itself as a tangible outcome.
"Her graduation was a significant achievement after years of study."
"The team celebrated their championship as a remarkable achievement."
"Climbing the mountain in winter was a dangerous but impressive achievement."
Target word: achievement. Stress pattern is /əˈtʃiːv.mənt/ in General American and /əˈtʃiːv.mənt/ in many British varieties. Start with a light schwa, then /tʃ/ as in 'ch', followed by the long /iː/ in ’cheev’. The second syllable is unstressed, sounding like /v/ plus a soft /mən t/. Final consonant is /t/. In careful speech: uh-CHEEV-muhnt. In rapid speech, you might hear /əˈtʃiːv.mənt/ with reduced first syllable and a quicker /mənt/.
Common mistakes include saying /ˈæ.tʃiːv.mənt/ with stress on the first syllable and using an /s/ or /z/ in the coda, which distorts the word. Another error is misplacing the long /iː/ as /ɪ/ or turning /tʃiː/ into /tʃɪ/; finally, rushing the /v/ or merging /v/ and /m/ into /f/ or /mv/. Correct approach: keep stress on the second syllable, maintain /tʃ/ as in 'chat', ensure /iː/ is clear, and articulate the final /mənt/.
In US and UK rhotic varieties, the /r/ is not in this word, so no rhotic /r/ sound. The primary variation lies in vowel length and quality; US speakers often reduce vowels more and might slighty shorten /iː/; UK may maintain a slightly crisper /t/ and more precise /ɜː/? Not present here. Australian tends to be non-rhotic with a broader diphthong on /iː/. Overall, the /əˈtʃiːv.mənt/ pattern remains constant, with minor rhythm and vowel duration differences.
Two main challenges: the long /iː/ in the second syllable and the /v/ preceding a nasal in /mənt/, which requires maintaining a controlled lip tension while voicing the following nasal. The cluster /v.m/ can be tricky in fast speech, and the sequence /tʃiː/ requires precise tongue height against the palate. Practice exaggerating the second syllable then speeding up to natural tempo helps stabilize the rhythm.
In achievement, the sequence /iː/ is phonemically a single long vowel /iː/ represented by the spelling 'ie' in 'achieve', not two separate vowels. The following /v/ begins the next consonant cluster; stress remains on the second syllable. This is important because learners often mispronounce 'ie' as two close vowels, which disrupts the rhythm.
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Achievement derives from Middle English acheven, from Old French achevement, from late Latin ac- (toward) + cuivement (given, accomplished) evolving through Old French as acheivement. The English noun first appeared by the 14th century to denote the act of achieving something. The root idea centers on attainment through effort and skill, aligning with the verb achieve (from Old French achever, ‘to complete,’ from Latin ad- ‘toward’ + capere ‘to take’). Over time, the sense broadened from the general act of accomplishing to the more specific notion of a notable result or milestone, often celebrated or acknowledged. By the modern period, achievement has carried both individual and collective implications, appearing in education, career, and personal development discourse. Usage has also broadened to describe non-quantifiable success, such as achievements in sports or the arts, while maintaining its core association with effort leading to a concluded objective.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Achievement" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Achievement"
-ent sounds
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