Apportion means to divide and allocate portions or shares of something among recipients or categories. It implies a proportionate, fair distribution rather than a lump-sum assignment. The term is often used in legal, financial, or organizational contexts to describe assigning portions according to certain criteria or rules.
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US: rhotic, /r/ pronounced; vowels may be broader; keep /ɔː/ long and round. UK: non-rhotic or weak-rhotic; /r/ often not pronounced post-vocalically; slightly shorter /ɔː/. AU: rhotic with fused vowels; keep /ɔː/ broad and maintain consistent /r/ quality; less vowel height variation. Across accents, focus on the stressed /ɔː/ and the /ʃ/ sequence; avoid conflating /t/ with /d/ or slurring /t/ into /ʃ/. IPA anchors: US /əˈpɔːrʃən/, UK /əˈpɔːʃən/, AU /əˈpɔːʃən/.
"The committee decided to apportion the funds based on need and project impact."
"TaxRevenue will apportion duties among agencies to improve efficiency."
"The land was apportioned into three equal parcels for the heirs."
"When planning the budget, we apportion resources to each department."
Apportion originates from Old French apportioner, from Latin portionem (nominative portio, portion, share) from portus (carry) or portions of share-related terms. The English verb first appears in the 15th century via legal and administrative language, aligning with the notion of distributing a fixed quantity into parts. The building blocks are por- (carry, portion) and -tion (the act or result). Over time, apportion acquired more technical usage in taxation, budgeting, and policy, distinguishing between arbitrary sharing and proportional, rule-based allocation. In modern usage, apportionment often involves predefined criteria (need, merit, entitlement) and may be formalized in statutes, contracts, or organizational guidelines, reflecting its roots in measured, carried-out division rather than ad hoc dispersion.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "apportion" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "apportion" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "apportion"
-ion sounds
-ort sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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US/UK/AU pronunciation is /əˈpɔːrʃən/ (US: /əˈpɔːrʃən/, UK: /əˈpɔːʃn̩/, AU: /əˈpɔːʃən/). Put primary stress on the second syllable: a-POR-tion. The first vowel is a schwa; the middle consonant cluster is /pɔːr/ or /pɔː(ː)r/ depending on accent, followed by /ʃən/ or /ʃn̩/. You’ll hear a long, rounded /ɔː/ in the stressed syllable and a light, unstressed final /ən/.
Common errors: treating the middle /ɔːr/ as /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ in non-rhotic dialects, misplacing the /t/ leading to /ˈæpɔːrʃən/; skipping the /r/ in non-rhotic accents, producing /əˈpɔːʃən/ without the rhotic /r/. Also overemphasizing the final /n/ or pronouncing it as /ən/ with a strong nasal. Correction: keep the /r/ in the stressed syllable (rhoticity) where applicable, ensure the /t/ is light and not a hard release, and glide into a subdued final /ən/.
In US English, /əˈpɔːrʃən/ with rhotic /r/ and clear /ɔː/ in the stressed vowel. In UK English, /əˈpɔːʃən/ with a non-phonemic /r/ in some positions and a slightly shorter post-vowel schwa; non-rhotic varieties may soften /r/ after vowels. Australian English tends to be rhotic with closer to /əˈpɔːʃən/ and a flatter diphthong in /ɔː/. Across accents, the key is the stressed second syllable and the /ʃən/ ending; the main variance is rhoticity and vowel quality in /ɔː/.
Phonetic hurdles include the tense mid/back vowel in the stressed syllable (/ɔː/), the /p/ preceding the /ɔː/ that can be overemphasized or de-emphasized in rapid speech, and the /ʃən/ cluster which often slides to /ʃn̩/ or a lighter /ʃən/ depending on accent. For non-native speakers, the challenge is the blend of a stressed, rounded vowel with a sticky /r/ (in rhotic varieties) and a relatively quick, controlled /t/ before /ʃ/.
A distinctive feature is the strong, stressed /ɔː/ in the second syllable followed by /r/ in rhotic varieties; many learners misplace emphasis or drop the /r/. Remember the syllable boundary: a-POR-tion. The /t/ is light but not silent; keep it as a brief touch-release rather than a heavy plosive. Having this rhythm will help you sound natural in both careful and natural speech.
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