Anglers are people who fish with rods and line for sport or leisure. The term refers collectively to those who engage in angling, often in recreational settings. In everyday usage, it denotes a group of people rather than a single person, and it carries informal, outdoorsy connotations.
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"The anglers gathered by the river at dawn, reels ready and patience in their pockets."
"Local shops sponsor weekend competitions for anglers of all skill levels."
"Anglers benefit from quiet concentration and steady hand movements when casting."
"The documentary followed a team of anglers as they navigated a challenging river section."
Angler comes from the Old English anglor, related to angling, rooted in the Latin angula ‘angle, hook’ via Old French engelier, with the suffix -er denoting a person associated with an action. The first element ang- aligns with the verb angle, and the -er suffix marks a doer. The plural anglers formed regularly in English by adding -s, yielding late medieval to modern usage for people who fish with a rod and line. Historically, angling distinguished from net fishing and other methods, with anglers traditionally organized in guilds or gatherings in rivers and coastal towns. The term’s sense broadened to include any recreational fishing activity, while still preserving the core idea of “one who angles” rather than a professional or commercial fisher, and it appears in English literature and logs from the 14th century onward, solidifying its plural form by the 16th–17th centuries. Over time, “angler” has taken on cultural associations with patience, skill, and sport rather than necessity, especially in regions where fishing is a popular pastime and hobbyist competitions proliferate.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "anglers" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "anglers"
-ers sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˈæŋ.lɚz/ in US and /ˈæŋ.ləz/ in UK/AU. The first syllable carries primary stress. Start with the short ‘a’ as in cat, then a velar nasal /ŋ/, followed by a schwa or weak /ɚ/ in the US, and an /ə/ in non-rhotic varieties; end with a clear /z/ sound. Mouth position: keep the tongue high back for /ŋ/, relax the jaw for the schwa, and finish with a crisp /z/. Audio references: consult Forvo or Cambridge online dictionary audio for native speaker realizations.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing the second syllable as a full syllable with /əl/ or /ɔː/ instead of a muted schwa; (2) Raising the /ɚ/ to a taut /ɜr/ in American speech, causing ‘ang-lerz’ to sound off; (3) Misplacing the /ŋ/ so that it blends with /g/ instead of clearly separating. Correction: after the /æ/ vowel, transition smoothly into the velar nasal /ŋ/ without adding extra vowel, then use a short, light schwa /ə/ (US) or /ə/ (UK/AU) before the final /z/. Practice with minimal pairs: ang-ler vs ang-lers.
US tends to be rhotic with a clear /ɚ/ in the second syllable when unstressed, sounding like /ˈæŋ.glɚz/. UK and AU varieties often reduce the second syllable to /ə/ or /əz/ with less rhoticity, sounding /ˈæŋ.ləz/. Australians generally share the UK/AU non-rhotic pattern but may exhibit a slightly broader vowel in /æ/ and a subtle diphthong in /ə/; the final /z/ remains voiced. Ensure you don’t turn the second syllable into /ɚ/ in non-rhotic contexts when speaking UK/AU casually.
The difficulty lies in the cluster /ŋl/ transition and the subtle schwa reduction in the second syllable. The /ŋ/ in English is silent in some languages and requires a rapid closure of the velum before the /l/ onset. The second syllable hinges on a quick, unstressed /ə/ or /ɚ/; misplacing tension around the laryngeal glottis can create a shaky, elongated sound. Practice focus: smooth /ŋ/ entry, light /l/, and accurate schwa. IPA cues: /ˈæŋ.lɚz/ (US) vs /ˈæŋ.ləz/ (UK/AU).
Unique to angling context is the stable /ŋl/ sequence between syllables, which challenges non-native speakers who default to separate nasal and liquid sounds. Keeping the mouth relaxed, with a high back tongue for /ŋ/ and a gentle /l/ release, preserves the natural rhythm of the word. In quick speech, you’ll often hear the second syllable quickly reduced to /ə/ or /ɚ/, so aim for a fast, almost unvoiced transition before the final /z/ to maintain natural sound in fluent speech.
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