2 syllables: com, mits. Stress on mits.
kuh-MITS
/kəˈmɪts/
commits is pronounced kuh-MITS (/kəˈmɪts/). It has two syllables (com-mits), with the stress on "mits". Commits is a verb meaning to dedicate oneself to a task or cause, or, in computing, to record changes to a repository. It can function in present tense as a third-person singular or simple present, and as a base verb in phrases like “he commits” or “they commit.” The term also appears in legal contexts to denote obligation or binding actions. In general usage, it conveys intentional dedication or formal registration of actions or data.
Commits is a verb meaning to dedicate oneself to a task or cause, or, in computing, to record changes to a repository. It can function in present tense as a third-person singular or simple present, and as a base verb in phrases like “he commits” or “they commit.” The term also appears in legal contexts to denote obligation or binding actions. In general usage, it conveys intentional dedication or formal registration of actions or data.
"She commits to finishing the project by Friday."
"The programmer commits the changes to the repository after testing."
"The committee commits the funds to a new initiative."
Pronounce as /ˈkɒmɪts/ in UK English or /kəˈmɪts/ in US and AU. The stress is on the first syllable: COM-mits. Start with /k/ followed by a short, lax /ɒ/ or /ə/ depending on accent, then /m/ and a crisp /ɪ/ before the final /ts/ cluster. In careful speech, you’ll clearly release both ends: kə-MITS (US) or KAW-mits (UK). For standard reference, think “KO-mits” or “kuh-MITS,” with the final /ts/ as a voiceless alveolar affricate.
Two common mistakes: (1) misplacing stress, saying comMITS with stress on the second syllable; (2) turning the /t/ into a /d/ voiced sound, making /ˈkɒmɪdz/ or /kəˈmɪdz/. Correct by keeping stress on the first syllable and crisping the final /ts/: /ˈkɒmɪts/ (UK) or /kəˈmɪts/ (US). Practice by isolating the final cluster: end with an unvoiced /t/ plus /s/ together, not a separate vowel between them.
US and AU typically place the primary stress on the first syllable and use a lax /ɪ/ in the second vowel, yielding /kəˈmɪts/ with a clear /ts/. UK English often uses /ˈkɒmɪts/ (short o) and a crisper /t/ before /s/. Rhoticity is less relevant here, but US might link the /ə/ vowel in unstressed positions differently, affecting rhythm. Across accents, the vowel quality and the initial vowel length differ; the final /ts/ remains a voiceless alveolar affricate.
Because it combines a stressed syllable with a final consonant cluster /ts/ that requires precise timing and air flow. The middle /m/ must be immediately followed by a short /ɪ/ before the /ts/, without inserting an extra vowel. For non-native speakers, coordinating the alveolar stop /t/ and /s/ as a single affricate can be tricky, especially when the preceding vowel is reduced in casual speech. Clear articulation helps; practice the sequence /k/ or /kə/ + /m/ + /ɪ/ + /ts/ in fast speech.
A notable feature is the crisp realization of the final /ts/ consonant cluster. Unlike words ending in /t/ or /s/ alone, commits requires the two consonants to be released together quickly, producing a short, unvoiced affricate. This is especially salient in careful speech or when the word is emphasized. You’ll hear a swift, clean end after the stressed first syllable: /kəˈmɪts/.
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Commits derives from the Latin commitere, meaning to entrust, commit, or join together. The past participle form commititus contributed to Middle English adaptations, evolving in legal, religious, and bureaucratic language during the medieval period. The word entered English via Old French commit, from Latin committere (com- ‘together’ + mittere ‘to send, to let go’). Early senses covered entrusting a matter to someone, committing a person to a state of obligation, or joining people to a cause. By the 16th-17th centuries, commit began to split into specialized uses: in law, to place a case or person in custody or charge; in religion, to entrust spiritually; and in governance and administration, to entrust funds or duties. In computing, the mid-20th century adoption of the term to describe recording a set of changes to a repository aligns with the sense of “entrusting” a set of changes to the project’s history. Today, commit is widely used across legal, social, software, and organizational contexts, retaining its core sense of entrusting, binding, or registering an action, with modern nuance around version control and software workflows.
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Words that rhyme with "commits"
-its sounds
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