Aunts is the plural of aunt, referring to a female relative who is a sibling of one's parent. The word is pronounced with a vowel like “aw” in cot-caught accents, followed by an “nt” cluster and a soft -s ending. It foregrounds the first syllable with primary stress and functions as a common familial term across varieties of English.
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"She has two aunts who visit every summer."
"My aunts organized a surprise party for my birthday."
"The aunts shared old photographs from our family album."
"In many families, aunts play a key role in babysitting and family lore."
Aunt derives from Latin avunculus via Old French avuncle, but the English word aunt comes into Middle English from Old French tante or tante, influenced by Latin avunculus meaning maternal uncle or relatives. The currently common spelling aunt reflects a phonetic simplification of earlier forms such as ante, Aunt, and aunts in various dialects. The plural s attaches as standard English pluralization marking, yielding aunts. The term evolved to indicate a female relative who is the sister of one’s parent or spouse of a parent’s sibling; usage broadened from royal and noble kinship references to everyday family roles. First known written attestations appear in Middle English texts, with increasing usage in early modern English as extended family networks expanded. In the transition from Middle to Early Modern English, the pronunciation settled toward (ɔːnts) in many parts of the UK, and (ænts) in parts of North America with cot-cot-like mergers influencing vowel quality. Today, “aunts” reflects a combination of historical vowel shifts and regional rhotics, resulting in vowel variations like /ɑːnts/ in some accents and /ɔːnts/ or /ænts/ in others, while the plural -s is pronounced as /s/ in most dialects.
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Words that rhyme with "aunts"
-nts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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In General American, pronounce as /ɔːnts/ or /ɑːnts/ depending on the cot–caught merger in your region, with a tense, rounded first vowel before the /nts/ cluster. The /t/ is a light plosive, followed by /s/. Mouth position: open mid-back to back vowels, lips relaxed, tongue high mid for /ɔ/ or /ɑ/. Stress is on the only syllable. For reference, you can compare it to 'ants' but with a longer vowel; use a clean /nt/ onset. Listen to native speakers on Forvo or YouGlish for your accent. IPA: US /ɔnts/ or /ænts/? (see regional notes); UK /ɔːnts/ or /ɑːnts/; AU similar to US with vowel shifts that depend on region.
Two common errors: First, pronouncing it as /ænts/ like 'ants' in some US dialects; second, softening or debasing the /t/ into a flap like /ɾ/ in rapid speech. Correction: keep the /t/ as a true alveolar plosive before /nts/; ensure the vowel is the broad /ɔ/ or /ɑ/ depending on your dialect. Practice with minimal pairs: 'ants' vs 'aunts' to feel the extra vowel height and rounding if your region uses /ɔ/ or /ɑ/.
In General American with cot–caught mergers, /aunts/ often uses /ɔː/ or /ɑː/ depending on the speaker; with rhotic accents, you’ll hear an /ɔːnts/ followed by a dark r in surrounding words, but not in isolation. In UK accents, many speakers use /ɔːnts/ or /ɑːnts/, with less drawl and sharper /t/. Australian English tends toward a clear fronted /æ/ or /a/ in some dialects, but many speakers have an /ɔːnts/ variant with a rounded vowel before /nts/. The key is vowel quality before /nts/ and the presence of a full /t/-stop rather than a flapped /ɾ/.
The difficulty comes from the vowel before /nts/. In regions with cot–caught mergers, the /ɔ/ or /ɑ/ vowel can be challenging to differentiate from /ɒ/ or /æ/ in connected speech. Additionally, the /t/ in an /nts/ cluster can be swallowed or reduced in fast speech, moving toward a /nts/ sequence without a clear stop. Practicing with minimal pairs like 'ants' helps you stabilize the vowel and the /t/ articulation. Pay attention to tongue position: high-back vowels require a more retracted tongue and rounded lips for /ɔː/; low open /æ/ requires a lower jaw and wider mouth.
The word has a single-syllable stress pattern, but many learners search for a two-syllable rhythm due to the tempting diphthong in some dialects. The unique aspect is maintaining a consistent /t/ + /s/ cluster at the end without vowel intrusion or elision, especially in rapid speech. You’ll want a crisp release on the /t/ and a clean /s/ without voicing. IPA: US /ɔnts/ or /ɑnts/ depending on dialect; UK /ɔːnts/ or /ɑːnts/.
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