Announce is a transitive verb meaning to make something known publicly or formally, often by speaking or presenting information. It emphasizes declaring information clearly and officially, sometimes as an announcement or statement to an audience. The term implies a public, deliberate conveyance of news, events, or decisions, typically with some formality or ceremony.
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- You’ll often shorten the stressed syllable or drop the /aʊ/ glide in rapid speech. Slow it down to feel the glide from /ə/ to /aʊ/ before the /n/ and /s/.
- Another mistake is merging /n/ and /s/ into a single alveolar sound; keep /n/ and /s/ distinct, especially before words starting with vowels where linking might blur the sequence.
- Improper secondary stress or misplacement can lead to sounding like ‘an-NOUNCE’ instead of ‘an-NOUNCE’ with the stress on the second syllable; practice with a rhythm exercise: say ‘a-NAUNCE’ with clearly marked beat.
- In connected speech, some learners reduce the /ə/ to a quick schwa and then collapse /naɪ/ elements; maintain the schwa lightly before /naʊns/ to retain the correct syllable boundary.
Actionable tips: use minimal pairs to isolate the /aʊ/ diphthong vs. a simple /a/; practice speaking slowly at first, then speed up while maintaining the diphthong clarity; record and compare with a native speaker via pronunciation tools.
- US: /əˈnaʊns/ with a neutral r-color; the /aʊ/ diphthong is pronounced with a clear glide from /ə/ to /aʊ/, lips starting neutral and then rounding for the /aʊ/; keep the /n/ and /s/ crisp; avoid lengthening the vowel into /aʊ-ə/. - UK: /əˈnaʊns/ tends to be slightly more clipped with sharper /aʊ/ and a crisper final /ns/; avoid vowel centralization; ensure non-rhoticity doesn't affect pronunciation—rhoticity isn't relevant for the verb. - AU: /əˈnaʊns/ with a slightly more centralized start and a broader, perhaps longer /aʊ/ glide; keep the mouth slightly open for the diphthong; watch for slightly flattened final /æ/ style in some speakers; maintain the stiff /ns/ cluster. - IPA references: refer to /əˈnaʊns/ across accents, practice with minimal pairs to identify subtle vowel quality changes, especially around /aʊ/. - Practical tip: practice with a mirror to monitor lip rounding and jaw opening; listen to native speaker clips and imitate the diacritic mouth shapes.
"The company will announce its quarterly results at noon."
"She stood on the podium to announce the winner of the competition."
"Parents will announce the new school policy during the town hall."
"The spokesperson announced that the event had been postponed due to weather."
Announce derives from the Old French anoncer ‘to announce, declare, inform,’ from Latin annuntiare ‘to report, announce,’ composed of ad- ‘toward’ + nuntius ‘messenger, message’ (root of nuntio ‘to announce’). The form entered English via Middle English as an overt act of declaring news to others. The semantic core—publicly informing, making known—grew in the late medieval and early modern periods alongside rising bureaucratic and ceremonial communications. Historically, to announce carried the sense of delivering messages through heralds or messengers, a ritualized act linking speech with public recognition. By the 17th–18th centuries, announce shifted toward formal proclamations and official statements, later broadening to everyday public notices, press releases, and spoken declarations. The verb’s orthography stabilized around announce with the “-nounce” suffix retained from its French and Latin lineage, while pronunciation evolved toward the current two-syllable structure with primary stress typically on the second syllable in many contexts. First known English attestations appear in legal and royal proclamations where officials announced decrees, evolving into a common verb with modern usage in media, business, and daily life.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "announce" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "announce" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "announce" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "announce"
-nce sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Say ə-NAWNCE, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /əˈnaʊns/. Start with a relaxed schwa /ə/, then the stressed diphthong /aʊ/ as in ‘now,’ and finish with /ns/ cluster. Keep the /n/ and /s/ distinct—avoid turning /ns/ into a nasalized blend. Visualize the mouth opening for /aʊ/ then quickly close for the alveolar /n/ and /s/ before the final voiceless /z/? Actually final is /s/ voiceless. You’ll hear the plosive step naturally in careful speech.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable as a-LN-ounce; fix by practicing secondary-stress on the second syllable. (2) Slurring /aʊ/ into a simple /a/ or /ɔ/; ensure the diphthong starts with /a/ and glides to /ʊ/ visually, moving to /aʊ/. (3) Dropping the /ns/ into /n/ or merging into /nz/; keep /n/ and /s/ as two clear articulations, especially before /ə/ or end of sentence. Practicing with minimal pairs helps cement the correct sequence: /əˈnawns/.
In US/UK/AU, /əˈnaʊns/ is the core. Differences are subtle: US tends toward a slightly flatter /aʊ/ with faster vowel transitions; UK may preserve a crisper onset to /aʊ/ and slightly more rounded lip position; AU often features a more centralized vowel quality and a marginally broader /ɒ/ to /ɔː/ influenced by general Australian vowel shifts, but /aʊ/ remains a glide-diphtong. The final /ns/ remains voiceless across all regions; linking with following words can alter perceived rhythm more in US than UK/AU.
Key challenge is the two-syllable rhythm with secondary timing on the second syllable and the /aʊ/ diphthong. The transition from schwa to /aʊ/ requires a glide that can be eroded in rapid speech, leading to a shorter /a/ or an /əˈnaʊnz/ mispronunciation. The consonant cluster /ns/ after the diphthong can blur, especially before a vowel in connected speech. Focus on maintaining a clear split between the vowel glide and the /n/ and /s/ to preserve the syllable shape.
No, announce has no silent letters. Each segment is voiced or voiceless in the expected pronunciation: the initial schwa is realized, the /aʊ/ diphthong requires a visible glide, and the /ns/ sequence is pronounced as two distinct sounds. The challenge is not silence but the precise timing and enunciation of the diphthong and the final /ns/ cluster. Practicing with slow, measured syllables helps ensure each phoneme is heard distinctly.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "announce"!
- Shadowing: Listen to a short native speaker clip of a formal announcement and repeat in real time, matching intonation and timing; focus on the /əˈnaʊns/ rhythm. - Minimal pairs: announce vs. announce (no good pair here). Use related words: pronounce, announce vs. announce, denounce; compare rhymes and consonant clusters to keep /n/ and /s/ distinct. - Rhythm: tap a beat on each syllable: a-NOUNCE; keep the second syllable longer than the first in many contexts. - Stress practice: emphasize second syllable; practice sentences with natural emphasis like “We will aNOUNCE the results today.” - Recording: use a voice memo app; compare with a native speaker; adjust for fast speaking contexts while preserving clarity of /aʊ/ and /ns/. - Context sentences: 1) The spokesperson will announce the new policy at noon. 2) The school board announced its decision yesterday. 3) We will announce the winners after lunch.
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