Affairs refers to matters or activities of public or personal concern, often relating to political, domestic, or social domains. It can also denote romantic or secretive liaisons. In formal contexts it denotes matters or events; in everyday speech it can mean disputes or issues under consideration. The plural noun commonly appears as “affairs.”
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"- The government is addressing foreign affairs and national security."
"- We handled the family affairs after the passing of our relative."
"- Her personal affairs were complicated by the rumors."
"- He has many business affairs to manage while traveling abroad."
Affairs comes from the plural of the French word affaire, from Latin factorium meaning ‘doing, business, affair,’ related to facere ‘to do, make.’ In Middle English, affaires emerged via Anglo-Norman and Old French, evolving to mean activities, business matters, and events. The modern sense of public or private matters, often requiring attention or management, solidified in the 16th–17th centuries as English absorbed French administrative and political vocabulary. The noun form retained the plural th-s ending sound in many dialects, though in fast speech the final -s can be lightly pronounced or elided. Over time, ‘affairs’ expanded to include romantic or scandalous liaisons in colloquial use, while formal usage sticks to matters of policy, governance, or personal affairs. First known uses appear in legal and governmental documents of medieval France and England, later appearing in English literature and political writings as a generic term for ongoing business or events of interest. In contemporary usage, it functions both as a collective noun (affairs of state) and a count noun (personal affairs).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "affairs" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "affairs" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "affairs"
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Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as a-FEERS with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /əˈfɛərz/ (US) or /əˈfeərz/ (UK/AU). The first syllable is a schwa + f sound, the second syllable features a long open-mid vowel followed by /ər/ or /eə/ depending on accent, and ends with a voiced z. Keep the mouth relaxed at the start, then nip into a crisp /f/ and maintain voicing through the final /z/. Think of “uh-FAIRS” with emphasis on the second syllable. Audio cues: listen for a clear /z/ murmur at the end and a slightly rounded vowel in the stressed syllable.
Common mistakes: (1) Misplacing stress, saying af-FARES instead of a-FEERS. (2) Slurring the final /z/ into a voiced 's' sound, giving /-s/ instead of /-z/. (3) Reducing the vowel in the stressed syllable too much, making it sound like ‘offer’ without the final vowel. Corrections: practice the two-syllable rhythm with a clear /ˈfeər/ or /ˈfɛər/ and keep the final /z/ distinct. Practice with held-out vowels in the stressed syllable and a crisp /z/ at the end.
In General American, /əˈfɛərz/ with rhotic schwa in the first syllable and a pronounced /r/. In Received Pronunciation, /əˈfeːəz/ where the second syllable features a longer, non-rhotic vowel and the final consonant tends to be a clear /z/ but with less rhoticity. Australian English is close to RP but often with a shorter /eə/ and a more centralized ending, producing /əˈfɛəz/ or /əˈfeːəz/. Across all, the main differences are vowel quality in the stressed syllable and rhoticity; ensure your final consonant is voiced.
The difficulty lies in balancing the two-syllable rhythm, the mid-front vowel in the stressed syllable, and the voicing of the final /z/ after the /r/-like vowel. Many learners struggle with the subtle /ɛə/ or /eə/ transition and keeping the final /z/ clear in rapid speech. Also, the initial unstressed schwa + /f/ cluster requires a relaxed mouth before a quick glottal approach into the stressed vowel. Focusing on the glide between /f/ and the vowel helps keep it natural.
Does 'affairs' ever reduce to 'affrs' in casual speech? In careful speech you’ll typically hear /əˈfɛərz/. In very casual rapid speech, some speakers may reduce the vowel to a near-schwa and the /ər/ to a softer schwa, producing something like /əˈfærz/ or /əˈfɛəz/. However, fully dropping the middle vowel is uncommon; the final /z/ typically remains, and the stressed syllable retains its nucleus.
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