Agents is the plural of agent, referring to people who act on behalf of others or entities, or to agents in a fictional or metaphorical sense. The word denotes individuals entrusted with tasks, representation, or action, and is commonly used in business, law, espionage, and tech contexts. It can also describe software agents in computing, highlighting non-human but autonomous task performers.
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"The travel agents helped us find the perfect itinerary."
"Software agents monitor network traffic and respond to anomalies."
"In the novel, secret agents operate behind enemy lines."
"Real estate agents listed multiple promising properties."
Agents derives from the Latin agens ‘doing, acting’ from agere ‘to drive, lead, do’. The term traveled into Old French as agent, meaning ‘one who acts’ and later into English with its current plural form agents. Historically, agen(s) evolved through legal and diplomatic usage to denote someone authorized to act on another’s behalf. In the 16th-17th centuries, the word began appearing in English to describe emissaries or deputies, extending into domains like law, business, and espionage. The modern sense encompasses both human agents and abstract, autonomous computer agents. Its core meaning—someone who acts on another’s behalf or to achieve a purpose—remains stable, but the scope expanded dramatically with the rise of automated and networked systems, giving rise to phrases such as software agents and intelligent agents in AI research. First known use in English literature can be traced to early modern texts where ‘agent’ described an actor or emissary, with ‘agents’ as the plural, used in legal and commercial records of the period. The word’s evolution reflects shifting social roles of intermediaries and messengers, from courtly envoys to modern digital agents embedded in algorithms and services.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "agents" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "agents"
-nts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˈeɪ.dʒənts/ in most accents. Start with a stressed ‘ay’ vowel in the first syllable, then the /dʒ/ as in 'judge', followed by a schwa-like /ə/ in the second syllable, and end with /nts/. The syllable break is typically AG-ents, but in fluent speech you’ll hear /ˈeɪ.dʒənts/ with smooth linking to the final /nts/. Ensure the /dʒ/ is a distinct affricate rather than a /j/ plus /z/ blend.
Common errors: (1) mispronouncing /eɪ/ as a short /e/ or /ɛ/; (2) turning /dʒ/ into a simple /j/ or a /tʃ/ cluster; (3) reducing the second syllable too much and blurring /ə/ or /nts/. To fix: hold the first syllable with a clear /eɪ/ then produce the /dʒ/ as a single affricate, ensuring the /ə/ is a relaxed, mid vowel and the final /nts/ is crisp. Practice with minimal pairs like ‘agents’ vs ‘a gents’ to reinforce the correct boundary and avoid epenthesis.
In US/UK/AU, the initial /ˈeɪ/ is consistent. The main differences appear in rhoticity and vowel elongation; US tends to have slightly longer rhotic vowel before /dʒ/ and may link the /t/ in fast speech, while UK tends to maintain non-rhoticity with clearer vowel separation in rapid speech; AU often sits between US and UK, with a flatter intonation and a tendency for stronger alveolar airstream. The /nts/ ending is similar, but Australians may compress the final consonants more in casual speech.
Two main challenges: the diphthong /eɪ/ in a stressed syllable and the affricate /dʒ/. The transition from /eɪ/ to /dʒ/ requires precise tongue blade movement toward the palate to produce the /dʒ/ without a separate /j/ onset. The /nts/ cluster can be affected by remnant nasal or alveolar stops in rapid speech, especially after a stressed syllable. Focus on the clean affricate release and crisp nasal final consonants.
A useful nuance is the clear separation between the main syllables in careful speech: AG-ents, with a crisp /dʒ/ and a clearly enunciated /nts/ to prevent blending into ‘a gent’s’ or ‘a gents’ in rapid conversation. Practice ensures the /dʒ/ is not replaced by a /ʒ/ or omitted, preserving the word’s integrity in both formal and tech contexts.
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