Adults refers to people who are legally considered grown and responsible, typically aged 18 or older in many jurisdictions. The term emphasizes maturity, autonomy, and legal status rather than physical age alone. In use, it often contrasts with children or youths and can denote a group within society with expected rights and obligations.
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US vs UK vs AU: US typically /ˈæd.əlts/ with a crisp /t/ before /s/, rhotic r not involved. UK often /ˈæd.ʌlts/ or /ˈæd.lts/ with a more open second-vowel and possibly a glottal stop replacing /t/ in some dialects; AU tends to /ˈæ.dɔːlts/ or /ˈæ.dəlts/ with a slightly more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable and a softer /t/; rhoticity is generally non-rhotic in UK and AU. IPA references: US /ˈæd.əlts/; UK /ˈæd.ɜːts/ or /ˈæd.ʌlts/ (depending on region); AU /ˈæ.dəlts/ or /ˈæ.dɔːlts/. To train: practice the second syllable with a schwa, then try reducing to a minimal vowel in fast speech while keeping the /t/ + /s/ clearly produced.
"The adults in the room discussed the implications of the new policy."
"She handed the information packet to the adults, not the children."
"When you turn eighteen, you become an adult with voting rights."
"The program targets adults seeking career advancement or further education."
The word adults derives from Middle English adolt, from Old French adolt, itself from Latin adultus, meaning ‘grown up, grown’, from the verb adolere or adolere meaning ‘to grow up’ or ‘to mature’. The root ad- implies increase or addition, while -ol- stems from Latin alere ‘to nourish’ in a figurative sense of growth; suffix -tus signals a completed state. By the late medieval period, adultus referred to someone fully grown or fully developed. In English, adults emerged as a plural noun modifier around the 14th–16th centuries and gained the sense of individuals who have reached legal adult status later. Over time, the usage broadened to emphasize social responsibility and autonomy, not just physical maturation. In modern usage, “adult” is both a noun and an adjective; “adults” functions primarily as a plural noun denoting the group possessing maturity, rights, or responsibilities, while remaining flexible across contexts (e.g., “adult education,” “adult supervision”). First known evidence appears in legal and religious texts of the late Middle Ages, with expanding use in official statutes and educational settings during the Renaissance and into contemporary language.”,
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Words that rhyme with "adults"
-lts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as two syllables: /ˈæd.əlts/. Stress on the first syllable. The middle /əl/ is a schwa-plus-l combination, and end with a clear /ts/ cluster. In US, you’ll hear a crisp /t/ before the /s/; in rapid speech, /t/ can be lighter. Audio examples you can reference include Cambridge and Oxford dictionaries’ audio links, or Forvo entries for ‘adults’ to hear native variations.
Common errors include pronouncing it as /ˈæd.ʌlts/ or /ˈæd.əls/ by misplacing the vowel in the second syllable or replacing the final /ts/ with /s/ or /t/. Another mistake is dropping the first syllable stress or mispronouncing the /d/ and /l/ sequence as a single sound. To correct: keep pitch on the first syllable, ensure the middle is a lax /ə/ (schwa) followed by clear /l/, and articulate a crisp /t/ before /s/ without detaching the /t/ from the /s/ in rapid speech.
In US English, /ˈæd.əlts/ with a rhotic tendency, a clear /t/ before /s/ and a mid-central vowel in the second syllable. UK English tends to be /ˈæ.dʌlts/ with a schwa reduced in some dialects and less pronounced rhoticity in non-rhotic varieties. Australian English often exhibits a more centralized second syllable /ˈæ.dəlts/ with a mildly centralized vowel and a softer /l/; vowel quality can be slightly broader, and the /t/ can be flapped or partially elided in casual speech. Listening to native samples across accents can help you tune the middle vowel quality and the final consonant cluster.
The difficulty is the two-consonant cluster at the end /lts/ following a short, reduced mid vowel in the second syllable. The sequence /əlts/ requires precise tongue-tip placement and tongue-body relaxation to avoid an extra vowel or a skipped /t/. Also, maintaining the full first-syllable stress while keeping the second syllable light can be tricky in fast speech. Practice slow, then speed up while keeping the consonant cluster distinct and avoid substituting /d/ with /t/ or /l/ with /ɹ/ in most dialects.
No, there are no silent letters in adults. The letters A-D-U-L-T-S all participate in producing /ˈæd.əlts/. The /d/ is pronounced clearly, the second syllable contains a voiced mid vowel before the /l/ and the final /ts/ is audible as a /t/ followed by a voiceless /s/. In connected speech, the /t/ can be lightly released or elided, but it remains a recognizable cluster in careful speech.
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