An article is a piece of writing included with others in a publication, often reporting news, analysis, or commentary. In grammar, it refers to a word (a or an) used to modify a noun. The term also denotes a separate item or itemized element within a list or contract. It implies specificity or general reference depending on usage.
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"I read an article about climate change in the newspaper."
"Her article discussed the evolving role of AI in education."
"Please submit the article by Friday for publication."
"We examined the article's sources to verify the data."
The word article comes from Latin articulus meaning a small joint or a divided portion, from articulare meaning to divide into joints or to separate. In Latin, articulus was a diminutive of arcus or articulus, suggesting a small division or component. The word entered Old French as article, carrying the sense of a separate part or clause within a larger text or body. In English, early uses referred to a clause or item within a document, treaty, or list, and by the 14th century it had the broader sense of a written piece or report. The grammar term arises via medieval Latin and French usage, with the modern sense of a grammatical article (a/an/the) developing from the same root by the 15th century. The evolution reflects law, literature, and scholarly writing where items, clauses, and writings were cataloged as discrete articles, each with its own specification or function.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "article" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "article" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "article"
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Art-i-cle is pronounced with primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈɑːrtɪkəl/ in US/UK English. Break it into three phonemes: ART (baren), I (short i), CUL (kuhl). The 'r' is rhotic in US English and non-rhotic in many UK accents, but you’ll still hear a clear first syllable; in US English the /r/ is pronounced, in UK it may be reduced. In Australian English you typically get /ˈɑːtɪkəl/ with similar three-syllable rhythm and a lightly pronounced final syllable. Pay attention to the reduced second syllable and the light, unstressed final -le.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress, saying ar-TI-cle; 2) Very pronounced final -cle as -kul instead of -kəl; 3) Releasing the final syllable too sharply, making it two distinct sounds. Correction: keep primary stress on ART, reduce the middle syllable, and finish with a soft -kəl, blending the final consonant and vowel into a quick, relaxed close. Practice with a slow tempo and then speed up.
In US English you hear a clear rhotic /r/ in the first syllable: /ˈɑrtɪkəl/. UK English often features a non-rhotic r, with a shorter /ɑː/ in the first syllable and a crisper final -əl: /ˈɑːtɪkəl/. Australian English is similar to UK in rhoticity being weaker and has a broader vowel in the initial syllable: /ˈɑːtɪkəl/. Across accents, the middle /ɪ/ remains consistent; the key differences are r-sound presence and vowel quality in the first syllable.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable rhythm with a stressed first syllable and a reduced, often weak middle syllable, plus the final -cle that can blend into /kəl/ or become a crisper /kl/ depending on the accent. The /r/ influence (or lack thereof in non-rhotic accents) changes how the first syllable feels. Practicing sustained, light contact for the final syllable helps prevent over-emphasis and keeps the word natural.
There are no true silent letters in 'article' in standard accents, but the final -le often sounds like a soft, unstressed -əl rather than a hard -l or a separate syllable. The 't' is pronounced but often lightly released, and the second syllable is reduced. The unique feature is the contrast between the aspirated first syllable and the softened final -əl, which can feel like a linked, quick closure in fluent speech.
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