Afternoons refers to the period of the day between noon and evening. It is commonly used to describe activities, events, or routines that occur later in the daytime, typically after midday. The plural form indicates multiple instances or the generic concept of several noon-to-evening times across days. It is a lightly stressed, unstressed-unstressed sequence that features the /ˈæf.tɚ.nunz/ or /ˈæf.tər.nunz/ pronunciation depending on accent, but the spelling implies successive “-noons.”
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"We often take a walk in the afternoons."
"The classes resume in the early afternoons of autumn."
"She has meetings scheduled for the afternoons this week."
"Afternoons are usually quieter in the library, so I study there."
Afternoon derives from the combination of afternoon-n, from the Old English aft, meaning ‘behind, after’ combined with noon (from Old English non), and later the addition of -noon to emphasize the time of day after midday. The term appears in Middle English as aft[n]oon or afternoone in writings around the 14th century, with spelling variants influenced by French and Latin during the late medieval period. The word’s semantic shift centers on the portion of the day following noon, progressively solidifying in English to denote the period between midday and evening. The evolution tracked through literary usage shows a gradual standardization of spelling into afternoons by the 17th century, reflecting both pluralization and a clearer delineation of time blocks in daily routines. The root words “after” and “noon” combine to describe the time after midday, a concept that has endured across English-speaking cultures, despite regional differences in what is considered the core afternoon hours. The earliest known uses emphasize its temporal function within daily schedules and social planning, a pattern that remains relevant today.
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Words that rhyme with "afternoons"
-ons sounds
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Pronounce it as /ˈæf.tɚˌnuːnz/ in US, /ˈɑːf.tənˌuːnz/ in UK, or /ˈæf.tənˌuːnz/ in AU. The primary stress sits on the first syllable: AF-. The middle syllable is a schwa or a reduced vowel, followed by a long /uː/ in the final syllable. Break it into three parts: AF + tər + noons, with the final -s voiceless /z/ in many contexts. You’ll often hear a light linking sound between the middle and final syllables in fluent speech.
Common pitfalls include pronouncing the middle vowel as a full vowel instead of a schwa (saying /tɜːr/ or /tɜr/). Another is stressing the second syllable instead of the first (AF-tər-noons). Also, final /z/ or /s/ can be pronounced as a voiced /z/ when it should be voiceless at the end of a cluster in connected speech. To correct: use a quick, relaxed /ə/ for the middle vowel and keep primary stress on AF-; ensure final /nz/ is realized as a nasal followed by a voiceless s sound.
In US English, expect /ˈæf.tɚ.nunz/ with rhotacized mid vowel /ɚ/. UK varieties often realize the middle as /tə/ and may reduce the final vowel slightly, yielding /ˈɑːf.tənˌuːnz/. Australian tends toward /ˈæf.tənˌuːnz/ with a mid-central vowel in the middle syllable and less rhotacization than US. The main differences: rhoticity (US /ɚ/ vs non-rhotic UK), vowel quality in the first syllable (short /æ/), and the treatment of the middle syllable (/tər/ vs /tə/). IPA references will help you map these subtleties precisely.
The challenge comes from the consonant cluster and the unstressed middle syllable, which employs a reduced vowel (schwa). In rapid speech, the transition from /f/ to /t/ can sting if the tongue moves sharply; the middle /ər/ or /ə/ must be quick and relaxed, not strongly vocalized. The final /nz/ cluster also requires precise voicing: the /n/ nasal should seamlessly connect to an unvoiced /z/ or simplified /s/ depending on dialect. Mastery requires smooth timing, accurate vowel reduction, and consistent final consonant voicing.
The word’s final -noons can tempt some speakers to hyper-correct the final syllable, inserting extra vowel length or misplacing stress. A word-specific feature is the tendency to blend the second and third syllables in fast speech, producing /ˈæf.tənˌunz/ where the middle vowel reduces more aggressively. Paying attention to the internal rhythm of three syllables — AF + tər + noons — helps maintain clarity while keeping natural fluency.
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