Audience refers to the assembled group of listeners for a speech, performance, or broadcast. It denotes the people intended to hear or observe, and can also describe the act of listening to or watching something. In everyday use, it often implies a receptive or captive listening group, distinguishing those present from the speaker or performers.
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- You: You’ll often mispronounce by dropping the second syllable or merging /di/ with /ə/ leading to /ˈɔː.diən(t)s/ or /ˈɔː.djəns/. Fix: anchor two clear syllables: /ˈɔː.di/ then /əns/; keep /d/ audible and the final /s/ crisp. - You: Mispronouncing /ɔː/ as a short /a/ like in 'hot' can produce /ˈɒdiəns/; fix with a long, round /ɔː/ as in 'thought' to preserve the broad vowel. - You: The final /əns/ is often reduced too much; ensure a light schwa before the /n/ and a distinct /s/; practice with careful listening to native speech and marked syllables.
- US: /ˈɔː.di.əns/ with nonrhotic tendencies; the final /əns/ can be a shaded /əns/ or /ən(t)s/ depending on speed. - UK: /ˈɔː.di.əns/ with a crisp /n/ and a less pronounced final vowel; nonrhotic, but final /s/ remains. - AU: /ˈɔː.di.əns/ similar to UK, often with a slightly higher tongue position and quicker reduction in casual speech. All share primary stress on the first syllable; work on maintaining /di/ clearly before the /əns/.
"The comedian scanned the audience for cues before delivering a punchline."
"The presenter tailored the slides to the needs of the audience."
"The documentary captured the reactions of the audience in real time."
"She addressed the audience with a clear, confident voice to maintain engagement."
Audience comes from the Old French audience, from Latin audiēns, audiō, meaning 'hearing' or 'one who hears.' The Latin stem aud- relates to hearing, listening, and perception, and the suffix -ence marks a state or quality. The term entered English in the late Middle Ages via French, initially in legal and rhetorical contexts to denote those who attend a public event or courtroom proceedings. Over time, its use broadened to any group gathered to witness or listen, including theatergoers, listeners to a speech, or participants in a broadcast. The pronunciation evolved with English stress patterns and phonotactics, consolidating on the two-syllable form a(u)di-ence with primary stress on the first syllable: AU-di-ence. The word retains the sense of collective hearers, distinguishing them from the speaker or actor. In modern usage, “audience” often carries implications of attention and reception, influencing tone, pacing, and diction in public speaking and media. First known use in written English traces back to the 14th-15th centuries in contexts referring to those who hear or witness events, with increasingly nuanced distinctions between audience members, audience attention, and audience engagement in contemporary discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "audience" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "audience"
-ded sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce AUD- as /ˈɔː.di/ with primary stress on the first syllable, followed by -ence pronounced /əns/. In IPA: /ˈɔː.di.əns/. Mouth posture: start with an open-mid back rounded vowel for /ɔː/ (like 'saw'), then a clear /d/ with the tongue contact at the alveolar ridge, then a mid-central vowel /ə/ in the second syllable, and end with /ns/. In US, UK, and AU you’ll keep the stress on the first syllable; the final -ence is usually a light, quick /əns/ or /-əns/.
Common errors: 1) Dropping the vowel in the second syllable or mispronouncing /di/ as /d/ plus a clipped vowel, producing /ˈɔː.di ns/; 2) Misplacing stress to the second syllable, yielding /ɔːˈdi.diəns/ or /ˈɔː.djən(t)s/; 3) Merging /di/ with /ə/ into /djə/ or /djəns/. Correction: keep clear two-syllable onset AUD-/ˈɔː.di-/ with the /di/ clearly separated from the following schwa, ensuring the final /əns/ remains intact. Practicing with minimal pairs can help you retain the stress and the correct consonant sequence.
In general the first syllable holds /ˈɔː/ across US/UK/AU, with rhotic r not affecting it. In US, the final /ər/ is not present; instead, you get /əns/; the /ɔː/ may be realized as /ɑ/ in some American dialects, as in /ˈɑː.di.əns/. In UK and AU, /ɔː/ is closer to the long 'aw' sound, and the final /əns/ remains; Australians may exhibit a slightly more centralized final vowel and quicker /əns/ reduction. The key differences are vowel quality in the first syllable and the degree of rhoticity which is generally nonrhotic in UK/AU.
The difficulty lies in maintaining distinct syllable boundaries /ˈɔː.di/ and the final /-əns/. The /di/ cluster requires precise tongue placement at the alveolar ridge, while the final /əns/ demands a fast, reduced vowel before the /n/ and /s/ sequence. Additionally, non-native speakers often misplace stress or merge the second syllable with the first, creating /ˈɔː.djəns/ or /ˈɔːdiən(t)s/. Practice with slow drills to stabilize the two clear syllables before speeding up.
Audience has no silent letters, but retains a complex two-syllable onset with primary stress on the first syllable. The primary challenge is preserving a clean /ˈɔː/ vowel and a distinct /di/ segment before a reduced final /əns/. You’ll often see mispronunciations where the /di/ blends into the final /əns/ or the stress drifts to the second syllable; keeping the two-syllable structure separate, with a crisp alveolar /d/ and a reduced ending, is key.
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- Shadowing: listen to native speakers saying /ˈɔː.di.əns/, repeat after 1-2 seconds; focus on keeping /ˈɔː/ rounded and /di/ clearly released. - Minimal pairs: compare /ˈɔː.di.əns/ vs /ˈɔː.di.ən(t)s/; practice hearing where the /ə/ sits. - Rhythm: practice 2-syllable onsets then a quick final /əns/; count syllables as 1-2-3; aim for even stress timing. - Intonation: use a neutral mid-level pitch; maintain steady rate through the phrase. - Stress practice: stress on first syllable only; avoid secondary stress on /di/. - Recording: record and compare with a native; listen for the length of /ɔː/ and the crisp /d/.
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