Attempt refers to make an effort to achieve something, typically involving an initial or tentative action that may succeed or fail. It conveys a purposeful, try-oriented gesture rather than a completed result. In usage, it often appears in contexts of risk, challenge, or process, and can function as both a noun (an attempt) and a verb (to attempt).
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- You may lengthen the vowel as /eɪ/ or /iː/ instead of the short /ɛ/ in the stressed syllable. Keep the vowel short and tense to avoid a drawn-out sound. - You may glide into the word with a weak onset, producing /əˈtɛmpt/ with a too-heavy schwa or misplacing the primary stress to the first syllable. - You may fail to clearly release the /t/ at the end, resulting in a muffled or silent final consonant. Focus on a crisp alveolar stop followed by a quick transition to the bilabial closure of /m/ then /p/ and final /t/ if not reduced. - Mispronounce the sequence /tɛmpt/ as /tæmpt/ or /tɛmp/ by shifting vowel height; ensure the /ɛ/ is mid-open and not lax. Use short, precise vowel to avoid vowel-diphthong drift.
"She made an attempt to climb the hill before sunset."
"The team will attempt to break the record this year."
"Please refrain from attempting to lift the box without help."
"Her first attempt was clumsy, but her second was more precise."
The word attempt comes from the Old French astemprendre, later Latinized as ad tentare, with tentare meaning to feel or try. The shift through Old French kept the sense of “to try,” and by Middle English it had morphed into a general word for trying or testing, with a noun form to denote the act itself. The initial prefix ad- implies toward or at, coupled with tentare (to test or try), reinforcing the sense of directing effort toward a challenge. Over time, English speakers retained the dual noun-verb usage: to attempt something (verb) and an attempt (noun) as the act or process of trying. In contemporary usage, the term remains associated with experimental action, tentative performance, and ongoing pursuit, especially in contexts where outcomes are uncertain or contingent on effort rather than assurance of success.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "attempt" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "attempt" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "attempt"
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.
Pronounce it as ə-TEMPT, with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU /əˈtɛmpt/. Start with a weak initial schwa, then deliver a crisp, short “tempt” with a clear /t/ at the end. Think of /tɛmpt/ as a short, clipped form of the word that begins from a relaxed vowel. For listening reference, compare to ‘attempt’ being pronounced like “uh-tempt,” ensuring the tongue snaps to the alveolar /t/ quickly and the vowel = short, open-mid /ɛ/.
Two common errors are: (1) misplacing stress, saying a-TEMPt or a-TEmpt with wrong emphasis; (2) elongating the vowel, producing a lilting /eɪ/ or /iː/ instead of the quick /ɛ/ in the second syllable. Correct by stressing the second syllable firmly: əˈtɛmpt, with a short, crisp /ɛm/ and an immediate /pt/ closure. Practicing slow, then at natural speed helps lock the pattern.
In US/UK/AU, the core syllable structure /əˈtɛmpt/ remains; differences lie in rhoticity and vowel color. US tends to be rhotic with a slightly darker /ɜ/ in some speakers, UK often features a tighter vowel around /ə/ and a less forceful final release, while AU is generally non-rhotic with a clear, clipped /tɛmpt/. The final /t/ can be unreleased in rapid speech in UK/AU. Use IPA guides to tune your mouth shape per accent.
The difficulty lies in the quick, unstressed onset with a stable schwa, followed by a high-velocity /t/ + /mpt/ cluster. The /t/ release should be crisp, then immediately followed by a bilabial/palatal transition to /m/—a subtle bi-morphemic closure that’s easy to blur in fluent speech. Mastery requires precise voicing control, a tight lip seal before the /m/, and a short, closed postvocalic /pt/. IPA cues: /əˈtɛmpt/.
A distinctive feature is the rapid transition from the stressed syllable’s vowel to the terminal consonant cluster. You move from /ˈtɛm/ into a brief /pt/ release without a vowel between /t/ and /p/; this demands a tight tongue tip at the alveolar ridge, immediate lip closure for /p/, and a near-silent dilated airstream before the final /t/. Practicing with minimal pairs emphasizing the /t/ + /m/ timing helps anchor the rhythm.
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- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker pronouncing ‘attempt’ in sentences, imitate with a 1-second lag, focusing on stress and final cluster. - Minimal pairs: attempt vs. adept, tampon vs. tempt, temple vs. tempting (focus on the /æ/ vs /ɛm/ differences). - Rhythm practice: practice in sentences with alternating stressed/unstressed syllables to feel the beat: “I will at-tempt to finish the task today.” - Stress practice: practice moving the stress to emphasize the second syllable in contexts like “this is an attempt to improve.” - Recording: record yourself saying multiple sentences, then compare with a reference clip for accuracy of /əˈtɛmpt/. - Syllable drills: isolate /ə/ + /ˈtɛmpt/ and practice with a breath-attack to keep the initial schwa light. - Contextual sentences: answer questions with an “attempt” phrase to embed the pronunciation naturally. - Speed progression: start slow, then normal, then fast once you can maintain fidelity of the vowel and the final /pt/ release.
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