2 syllables: at, tain. Stress on tain.
uh-TAYN
/əˈteɪn/
attain is pronounced uh-TAYN (/əˈteɪn/). It has two syllables (at-tain), with the stress on "tain". Attain means to arrive at, achieve, or reach a goal or level through effort. It denotes reaching a desired or required standard, often after planning or struggle, and implies successful completion or fulfillment of a target.
Attain means to arrive at, achieve, or reach a goal or level through effort. It denotes reaching a desired or required standard, often after planning or struggle, and implies successful completion or fulfillment of a target.
"She hoped to attain fluency in Spanish within a year."
"With years of discipline, he managed to attain the rank of captain."
"The company aims to attain carbon neutrality by 2030."
Pronounce as ə-TAIN, with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /əˈteɪn/. Start with a neutral schwa, then a long A vowel (as in take), ending with n. The mouth opens slightly for the schwa, then the tongue rises for the diphthong /eɪ/. Make sure the /t/ is a clear, light stop before the vowel and that the final /n/ is nasal, not syllabic. Listen for the smooth transition from /ə/ to /eɪ/.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing the stress as ta-TAIN or a-TTAIN; ensure secondary syllable is stressed. 2) Slurring the diphthong to a short /e/ or /æ/ instead of /eɪ/, giving /əˈtæn/. 3) Over-voicing the final /n/ or adding an extra vowel after it. Correction: use a clean /ə/ initial, then /ˈteɪn/ with no extra vowel after the /n/. Practice with minimal pairs like /əˈteɪn/ vs /əˈteɪn/”},{
In General American, /əˈteɪn/ with rhotic r-like quality absent, primary stress on second syllable. In UK English, /əˈteɪn/ is similar with non-rhoticity; the /t/ is slightly more aspirated in careful speech. Australian English tends to be close to GA but with a flatter /æ/ in neighboring words; vowel length and sharp /t/ sometimes softened before nasal, but still /teɪn/. Overall the diphthong /eɪ/ is stable across accents, and the final /n/ remains nasal.
The difficulty centers on the /əˈteɪn/ rhythm and the mid-central to high-front glide of /ə/ transitioning into the /eɪ/ diphthong. Many speakers mispronounce as a-syllabic or misplace stress on the first syllable, or substitute a short vowel. Practice focusing on the transition from a neutral initial vowel to the long /eɪ/ glide, and keep the /t/ as a crisp, brief stop. The final /n/ should be a clean nasal with no trailing vowel.
Attain features a two-letter prefix prefix ad- from Latin influence? Not exactly. The unique aspect is its strong second-syllable stress and the seamless /ə/ to /eɪ/ glide. The second syllable begins with a clear onset /t/ and an unstressed schwa before the diphthong. Focus on the syllable break: a-TAIN, with the nucleus /eɪ/ and coda /n/. This is distinct from many similar words where stress or vowel quality varies.
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Attain comes from the Old French atteindre (to reach, to accomplish) and is ultimately from the Vulgar Latin ad tancien/n. The root is traced to Latin ad-tangere (to touch, to reach). In Middle English, attain appeared as atteinen or atteynen with sense shifts toward successfully reaching or accomplishing a goal. The semantic path reflects the composite idea of moving toward a target by extension of effort, culminating in achievement. Over time, the word retained its core sense of reaching a destination or standard, often used in formal writing and academic contexts. Modern usage preserves this nuance, applying to tangible achievements (degrees, rankings) and more abstract goals (proficiency, status). The first known written attestations appear in the 14th–15th centuries in English texts translated or influenced by Norman French, aligning with the broader integration of French-derived vocabulary into English during the late medieval period.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "attain" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "attain" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "attain"
-ain sounds
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