2 syllables: chat, tels. Stress on chat.
CHAT-uhlz
/ˈtʃæt.əlz/
chattels is pronounced CHAT-uhlz (/ˈtʃæt.əlz/). It has two syllables (chat-tels), with the stress on "chat". Chattels are movable tangible property that can be owned or transferred, distinct from real estate. In law, the term covers personal possessions and belongings you can physically move. The word also appears in historical contexts referring to personal estate or goods. It is used in legal, academic, and everyday contexts to describe personal property.
Chattels are movable tangible property that can be owned or transferred, distinct from real estate. In law, the term covers personal possessions and belongings you can physically move. The word also appears in historical contexts referring to personal estate or goods. It is used in legal, academic, and everyday contexts to describe personal property.
"The seller listed the chattels included in the estate sale."
"Household chattels such as furniture and appliances were appraised separately from the land."
"The law distinguishes chattels from fixtures that are attached to the property."
US: /ˈtʃæt.əlz/; UK: /ˈtʃæt.əlz/; AU: /ˈtʃæt.əlz/. Put stress on the first syllable CHATT-, then pronounce the second syllable with a schwa in the middle and end with -əlz. Think “CHAT-uhls” with a clear z sound at the end. Audio resources: try listening to Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries for the spoken form.
Common errors: 1) Flattening the second syllable to a full “ee” or “ay” instead of a reduced vowel; 2) Slurring the -t- so it sounds like chat-tels rather than CHATT-uhls; 3) Dropping the final z or using an s sound; correction: keep a voiced z /z/ at the end and maintain a light, quick second syllable with a schwa. Practice with minimal contrasts: chat-els vs chat-lez to internalize the ending.
US/UK/AU share the same /ˈtʃæt.əlz/ core. The only slight differences are vowel quality in the second syllable and the rhythm. In some accents, the second syllable may be realized with a slightly heavier schwa. Australians may have a more centralized vowel in the middle and a softer /l/ influence in connected speech. Overall, keep primary stress on CHATT- and end with a clear /z/.
Two challenges: the middle /ə/ (schwa) is quick and easy to mispronounce as a full vowel, and the final /z/ requires voicing and teeth-alignment to produce a clean fricative. Also, the cluster -təl- can blur if you don’t separate /t/ and /əl/ clearly. Practice by isolating each segment: CHATT- + -els with a light, quick middle vowel and a voiced final consonant.
The word’s historical emphasis on the first syllable and the subtle -təl- sequence makes it easy to misplace stress or muddle the second syllable’s vowel. The ending -els is pronounced with a voiced z, not an s, which can be mistaken by non-native speakers. Emphasize the first syllable, then smoothly reduce the middle vowel and finalize with a crisp z.
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Chattels comes from the Old French word chatter (chatel) meaning property or goods, which itself derives from Latin captābilis via Latin cattella meaning cattle, livestock. The term was adopted into English law in the medieval period to denote possessions personal to a person, distinct from land. Over time, the plural form chattels came to commonly describe movable goods rather than cattle, though the etymology remains embedded in its sense of goods and possessions. The first known uses appear in legal manuscripts of the 13th century in England, where charters and deeds referenced chattel as a category of property that could be transferred or inherited, separate from real property. By the Early Modern period, chattel had become a standard legal term in common law, codified in statutes dealing with estates, wills, and contracts. Today, chattels retain this sense in law and in everyday language when describing personal possessions that are not real estate. The evolution from cattle to movable goods reflects broader shifts in property law as urban commerce expanded and personal property needed clear categorization for transfer and taxation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "chattels" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "chattels"
-els sounds
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