3 syllables: at, ten, dance. Stress on ten.
uh-TEN-duhns
/əˈtɛndəns/
attendance is pronounced uh-TEN-duhns (/əˈtɛndəns/). It has three syllables (at-ten-dance), with the stress on "ten". Attendance refers to the act or fact of being present at a meeting, event, or location. It also denotes the number or proportion of people present. In organizational or academic contexts, attendance is tracked for accountability or participation purposes. The term combines the notion of presence with the ceremonial or formal act of registering one’s presence.
Attendance refers to the act or fact of being present at a meeting, event, or location. It also denotes the number or proportion of people present. In organizational or academic contexts, attendance is tracked for accountability or participation purposes. The term combines the notion of presence with the ceremonial or formal act of registering one’s presence.
"Her attendance at the conference was noted by the organizers."
"School attendance improved after the new reminders were sent."
"The club records attendance to determine funding eligibility."
Pronounce as /əˈtɛn.dəns/. The stress lands on the second syllable: at-TEN-dance. Start with a weak initial schwa, then an stressed /ˈtɛn/ with a short “e” as in 'ten', then a light /dəns/ ending where the 'd' links to an unstressed schwa before 'ns'. It should flow as /əˈtɛn.dəns/ in connected speech.
Common errors: misplacing stress (thinking it’s at-EN-dance rather than at-ten-dance); mispronouncing the final 'ance' as /-æns/ or /-əns/ instead of /-dəns/; omitting the second unstressed syllable leading to /ˈtɛn.dəns/ without the initial schwa. Correction: keep the initial weak /ə/; ensure the stressed /ɛ/ in /ˈtɛn/ is clear but not exaggerated; finish with /dəns/ where the 'd' links with a light, quick /ə/ before /ns/.
In US English, you’ll hear /əˈtɛn.dəns/ with a relatively clear /æ/ in /tɛn/ and rhotic absence on the final consonant cluster. UK speakers often reduce the first syllable more to a weak /ə/, with /ˈten.dəns/ becoming a bit shorter and crisper; the /t/ sound remains clear. Australian pronunciation is similar to UK/US but may feature a slightly broader vowel in /æ/ in some speakers and a flatter /ɐ/ in the second syllable, still /əˈten.dəns/ overall.
The difficulty lies in the unstressed initial syllable /ə/, which reduces quickly in connected speech, and in the mid vowel quality of /ˈtɛn/ combined with the light, rapid /dəns/ ending. The transition from stressed /ˈtɛn/ to a lightly articulated /dəns/ can cause listeners to mishear as /ˈten.dəns/ or /əˈten.dæns/. Focus on keeping the /ˈtɛn/ clearly pronounced and follow with a brief, relaxed /d/ and /əns/.
There is no silent letter in standard pronunciation; all letters contribute to the spoken form. The tricky part is the syllable boundary and the unstressed initial /ə/ plus the quick /dəns/ at the end. The 'a' in the second syllable carries the /æ/ (or /ɛ/ depending on accent), while the 'n' and 'c' are voiced softly in rapid speech, making /dəns/ sound almost like /dns/ to some listeners.
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Attendance derives from the Old French word atendre, meaning to stretch out the senses to hear or wait for, which itself comes from Latin attendere (ad- ‘toward’ + tendere ‘to stretch, extend’). The sense evolution began with attention or regard as a form of vigilance or waiting, then narrowed to the act of being present. In Middle English, the term took on the administrative sense of registering or recording the presence of individuals, especially at gatherings or institutions. By the 16th–17th centuries, attendance became firmly established in records, schools, churches, and labor contexts, capturing both the state of being present and the act of officially enrolling one’s presence. Over time, it broadened to include attendance rates and metrics used in management and compliance frameworks. First known uses appear in legal and church registers, where documenting who was present was essential for decisions, offerings, and governance. The modern sense of attendance as “the act of being present at an event” integrates historical administrative practices with contemporary attendance policies in workplaces and schools.
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Words that rhyme with "attendance"
-nce sounds
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