Appointments refers to scheduled meetings or engagements with a professional, often arranged in advance. It can also denote the act of assigning or designating duties or tasks. In everyday usage, the plural form typically signals multiple scheduled times or reservations, and can function as a noun or (less commonly) a verb phrase in certain contexts.
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US: rhoticity is not a factor here; maintain a clear /ə/ before the stressed /ɔɪ/. UK: slightly tighter vowel quality, keep /ɔɪ/ crisp with less jaw drop. AU: may have a more centralized vowel quality and a subtle 'o’ pronunciation; ensure you preserve the diphthong. Across accents, the /t/ should be released, and the final /nts/ must be audible. IPA references: US /əˈpɔɪntmənts/, UK /əˈpɔɪntmənts/, AU /əˈpɔɪntmənts/.
"I have three appointments this afternoon with the doctor, the dentist, and a lawyer."
"The clinic canceled two appointments that were booked for next week."
"Please bring your calendar so we can confirm all upcoming appointments."
"The receptionist will help you reschedule if you need to change any appointments."
Appointments derives from the verb appoint, which comes from Old French apointier, from Late Latin appointare, based on Latin aptus ‘fit, suitable’ and potis ‘able, capable’. The English noun sense of an arrangement or assignment appeared by the 14th century, evolving from the idea of choosing or designating a time or function. Early forms included ‘appointement’ and ‘appointing,’ reflecting a formal act of designation. Over time, the meaning narrowed to the scheduling context we use today, with the plural form ‘appointments’ normalizing in modern English to indicate multiple scheduled engagements. The term consolidated into common medical, legal, and professional vocabulary as systems of calendars and timetables proliferated in the 18th–19th centuries, solidifying its status as a standard noun for planned engagements in everyday and formal settings.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "appointments" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "appointments" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "appointments"
-nts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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You pronounce it as ə-POYNT-mənts, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US /əˈpɔɪntmənts/, UK /əˈpɔɪntmənts/, AU /əˈpɔɪntmənts/. Start with a schwa in the first syllable, then the /pɔɪ/ diphthong, followed by /nt/ cluster and a clear final /mənts/. Keep the /t/ crisp and avoid linking the /t/ into /m/.
Common errors include misplacing the primary stress (saying /ˌæp.ɔɪn/), confusing the /ɔɪ/ with a simple /ɔ/ or /oʊ/, and softening or dropping the /t/ in the middle, producing /ˈæpoɪnmənts/ or /əˈpoɪnmənts/. To correct: keep the /p/ and /t/ clearly articulated in the middle, ensure the /ɔɪ/ diphthong stays intact as /ɔɪ/, and pronounce the final /nts/ as a crisp cluster, not as a nasalized or lenited sound.
In US English, /əˈpɔɪntmənts/ with a rhotic /r/ influence is minimal here; the /ɔɪ/ diphthong is prominent. UK English retains similar diphthong, but vowel quality can be slightly tenser and you may hear a shorter /ɒɪ/ realization for some speakers. Australian English often has a more centralized or drawn-out /ɔɪ/ depending on region, with a fleeting /ə/ in faster speech. In all, the stress remains on the second syllable, but vowel quality and rhythm vary mildly.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic cluster: a stressed second syllable with a diphthong /ɔɪ/ followed by a contiguous /nt/ consonant cluster and the final /mənts/. The /t/ is not always clearly heard in fast speech, and the long /ɔɪ/ can blur toward /ɔ/ in some accents. Practice isolating the /ɔɪ/ then releasing the /nt/ into /mənts/ to avoid vowel shift or nasal swallowing.
For SEO, focus on the exact phonetic sequence /əˈpɔɪntmənts/ and the syllabic pattern (a-POYNT-mənts). People often search with ‘how to say appointments’ or ‘pronounce appointments.’ Including IPA variants /əˈpɔɪntmənts/ helps capture US/UK searches. Emphasize the second syllable with a clear /ɔɪ/ and the final /mənts/ to differentiate from similar words like ‘appoint’ or ‘appointment’.
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