2 syllables: ad, mits. Stress on mits.
uhd-MITS
/əˈdmɪts/
admits is pronounced uhd-MITS (/əˈdmɪts/). It has two syllables (ad-mits), with the stress on "mits". Admits is the third-person singular present tense of admit, meaning to acknowledge, concede, or confess a fact or reality. In everyday usage it often conveys acceptance of a reality after consideration or disclosure. The word frequently appears in formal or semi-formal contexts, legal or institutional language, and in reporting or narration, where characters or speakers acknowledge something honestly.
Admits is the third-person singular present tense of admit, meaning to acknowledge, concede, or confess a fact or reality. In everyday usage it often conveys acceptance of a reality after consideration or disclosure. The word frequently appears in formal or semi-formal contexts, legal or institutional language, and in reporting or narration, where characters or speakers acknowledge something honestly.
"She admits to making a mistake after reviewing the data."
"The defendant admits responsibility in court documents."
"He admits that his initial assessment was wrong."
Pronounce as ə-ˈdɪts in US and UK; for AU you’ll hear the same primary stress pattern: second syllable /ˈmɪts/ with a short /ɪ/ in the vowel. Start with a relaxed schwa for the first syllable (ə), then place primary stress on the second syllable. The final -ts is a voiceless alveolar affricate sequence /t s/, often realized as a crisp /ts/ release. Tip: keep the mouth slightly open for /ə/, raise the tongue to high-front for /ɪ/, and finish with a clean /ts/ without extra vowel.
Two frequent mistakes: 1) misplacing stress by saying /ˈæd-ɪts/ or /ˈædɪts/; ensure the stress is on the second syllable: /əd-ˈmɪts/ or /əˈdɪts/ depending on dialect. 2) adding an extra vowel: avoid /ædɪm-ɪts/ or /ədˈmɪits/; keep it tight as /ədˈmɪts/ with a short schwa in the first syllable and a crisp /mɪts/ ending. Practice keeping the /d/ light and the final /ts/ released quickly.
In US English, the first syllable reduces to a schwa with strong secondary stress on the second: /əd-ˈmɪts/. UK typically has /əd-ˈmɪts/ as well, with modest vowel quality and non-rhoticity not affecting /t s/ cluster. Australian English remains /əd-ˈmɪts/ but may feature slightly broader vowel quality in the first syllable and more clipped final /ts/. The key is consistent /d/ release and crisp /ts/; rhoticity relates mainly to the vowels before r, which doesn’t apply here.
Because the word blends a short, unstressed first syllable (often a quick schwa) with a stressed, closed second syllable containing a consonant cluster /ts/. The transition between the vowel /ɪ/ and the affricate /ts/ can be tricky, and some speakers substitute a longer vowel or insert an extra syllable. Also, keeping the alveolar /d/ soft and avoiding a flap or a stronger /d/ sound helps maintain natural rhythm in fluent speech.
Is the final -ts always a separate syllable in connected speech, or can it slide into a syllabic consonant? In rapid speech, you often perceive the ending as a single /ts/ cluster, not a fully separate syllable. The pronunciation remains /əd-ˈmɪts/ with a brief, barely audible release on /t/ followed by /s/.
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Admits derives from the Latin acceptare via Old French amettre?; however, the common modern English form admitting traces to Latin admittere, meaning to permit or concede, formed in the late Middle English period. The root ad- + mittere (to send) interacts with the semantic shift: originally “to permit” or “to send to” a position, evolving to “to admit” as in letting someone in or acknowledging something. In English, the verb admit appears by the 14th century with senses including to allow entry and to acknowledge. The present tense form admits follows standard third-person singular conjugation (add -s). The sense expanded significantly in the 18th–19th centuries with abstract admissions: admitting a fact, admitting one’s guilt, or admitting a hypothesis. Today, admit is used across legal, administrative, academic, and colloquial registers, often marking a moment of concession or acknowledgment in discourse.
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Words that rhyme with "admits"
-its sounds
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