Admissions refers to the process or act of admitting someone to a place, organization, or service, such as a school or hospital. It can also denote the fees or permission required for entry. In academic contexts, it often describes the process by which applicants are evaluated and accepted. The term can function as a noun for the procedure and as a plural noun for the applications themselves.
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Phonetic references: US /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/, UK /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/, AU /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/.
"The university's admissions office announced new deadlines for applications."
"Her admission to the program was approved after a rigorous review of her credentials."
"They paid the admission fee before entering the museum."
"The hospital’s admissions process includes paperwork, triage, and bed assignment."
Admissions comes from the Latin ad- 'toward' + mittere 'to send' through the Old French admissioun, and later Middle English admission. The root mittere is related to emit, admit, and permit, all linked to sending or allowing. The term began to appear in English in legal and institutional contexts to describe permission to enter or join a place or organization. Over time, admissions broadened to include the process of evaluating applicants for entry (as in education) and the entrance fees or allowances required for entry. The sense shift from the act of admitting or granting access to the institutional process and the related documents/declarations occurred gradually as universities, hospitals, and other entities formalized entry procedures. First known uses appear in medieval and early modern administrative texts describing access rights and entry records. By the 19th and 20th centuries, admissions became a standard term in higher education and public institutions, evolving to include all aspects of acceptance, enrollment, and eligibility documentation.
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Words that rhyme with "admissions"
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Pronounce it as /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/ in US and UK forms, with primary stress on the second syllable: ad-MIS-sions, and a secondary stress on the first syllable in some contexts. The core is /ˈmɪʃ/ (the 'mish' part) followed by /ənz/. In careful speech, you can say /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/; in rapid speech, it becomes /ədˈmɪʃənz/ with reduced initial vowel. Mouth positions: start with a light /æ/ or schwa in the first syllable, then a clear /m/ bilabial, /ɪ/ near-close near-front, /ʃ/ palato-alveolar, then /ən/ as a relaxed schwa + nasal /z/.
Common errors: misplacing stress (saying ad-MIS-sions with wrong emphasis), confusing /d/ and /t/ at the start (saying ad-TIS-sions), or turning /ʃ/ into /s/ or /tʃ/. Another frequent issue is pronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ in contexts where voice makes /z/ more natural. Corrections: keep primary stress on MIS, maintain the brief /d/ stop before /m/, articulate /ʃ/ as a single palato-alveolar fricative, and voice the final /z/ by engaging the vocal cords lightly.
In US English, /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/ with a rhotic /ɹ/ influence on surrounding vowels seems modest here; UK often mirrors /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/ with stronger non-rhoticity in some dialects, keeping /r/ silent. Australian accents often show similar vowel quality to UK but with broader /ɪ/ and a possibly weaker /ɪ/ in the 'mi' syllable and a slightly longer /ən/ reduction. Overall, the main difference is subtle vowel quality and the handling of the /r/ (present in US spelling but generally not pronounced in British/Australian accents). IPA references: US /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/, UK /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/, AU /ˌædˈmɪʃənz/.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /dˈmɪʃ/ where the /d/ meets /m/ smoothly and the /ʃ/ follows without a break, plus the reduced vowel in the middle /ən/ that can blur into /n/ or be misarticulated as /ənz/ rather than /ənz/. Another challenge is maintaining final /z/ voice after a nasal, which can flip to /s/ in fast speech. Focus on keeping the /d/ clearly released, the /m/ distinct, and the /ʃ/ precise before a light schwa.
Is the 'd' in admissions pronounced with a separate release, or is it coalesced into a quicker transition to /m/? Both pronunciations exist; careful speech often releases /d/ clearly before /m/ (ad-MIS), while faster speech can reduce the /d/ into a light touch before /m/. The best practice is to practice with a light but complete /d/ release, then move to a more fluid transition in conversational pace.
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