4 syllables: com, mu, ni, ties. Stress on mu.
kuh-MYOO-nuh-teez
/kəˈmjunətiz/
communities is pronounced kuh-MYOO-nuh-teez (/kəˈmjunətiz/). It has four syllables (com-mu-ni-ties), with the stress on "mu". Communities refers to groups of people living in the same region or having shared characteristics, interests, or goals. It also denotes the social networks and institutions that connect those people. In linguistics or sociology, the term often implies organized social units larger than households but smaller than nations. The word emphasizes collective identity, belonging, and shared civic life.
Communities refers to groups of people living in the same region or having shared characteristics, interests, or goals. It also denotes the social networks and institutions that connect those people. In linguistics or sociology, the term often implies organized social units larger than households but smaller than nations. The word emphasizes collective identity, belonging, and shared civic life.
- You may misplace stress on the first syllable, saying co-MMU-ni-ties. Fix by placing primary stress on the second syllable: /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tiz/. - The /juː/ can be mispronounced as /juː/ with a hard y sound; instead produce a smooth /mjuː/ sequence where the /j/ is a palatal semivowel that glides into /uː/. - Final -ties often become /-tiz/; in careful speech, keep the z as a voiced alveolar fricative; don’t devoce it to /-tiː/. - In fast speech, the first vowel often reduces to schwa; practice the Schwa under stress and keep the /mjuː/ intact.
"The local communities organized a cleanup drive."
"Online communities form around hobbies, education, and support networks."
"These rural communities face unique economic and healthcare challenges."
Pronounce as kə-MYU-ni-tiz. Stress on the second syllable: /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tiz/. The sequence includes a light first syllable, a strong /mjuː/ digraph cluster approximating “myoo,” and a final /tiz/ with a voiced /z/. You can listen to native patterns on Forvo or pronunciation tools; think of the middle part as “myoo” + “ni” with a light schwa before the -ties ending. IPA: US /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tiz/, UK /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tɪz/ depending on speaker, AU similar to US.”,
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable (co-MMU-ni-ties) — correct to second syllable. 2) Mispronouncing /juː/ as a simple /uː/ or splitting the /j/ into a separate sound (say /mjuː/ as a single sound). 3) Final -ties pronounced as /tiz/ vs /tiːz/. Correction: keep /tɪ/ before the final /z/ and ensure the /j/ glide follows the /m/ in /mjuː/ before the /nɪ/. Use minimal pairs to contrast /juː/ vs /uː/.
In US, /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tiz/ with a rhotic 'r' influence? Actually rhotics show in /r/ only in post-vocalic positions; here there is no /r/. The main difference is the vowel quality: US often uses a clearer /ɪ/ in the second and third syllables; UK uses /ɪ/ but may reduce /ɪ/ slightly and has less rhotic influence in non-rhotic varieties—so /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tɪz/ or /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.təz/. Australian follows similar to General US/UK but with vowel shifts: /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tɪz/ with flatter /i/ vowels and non-rhotic tendencies.
Two main challenges: the /ˈmjuː/ cluster with the /j/ glide (myoo) and the unstressed schwa in the first syllable can be reduced to /kə/ in fast speech. The sequence /ˈmjuː.nɪ/ moves quickly, and the ending /tiz/ may be devoiced or softened in rapid speech, turning into /tiz/ or /tɪz/. Mastery requires precise tongue fronting for /mjuː/ and keeping the /n/ clear before /t/.
A distinctive feature is the “myoo” /mjuː/ sequence after the initial schwa. The /j/ is a palatal approximant that follows the /m/ with very little lip rounding, requiring the tongue to rise toward the hard palate while the lips stay relatively relaxed. In careful speech, you should sustain the /juː/ as a single glide into the /n/ cluster, avoiding breaking it into /m/ + /ju/ + /ni/.
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- US: generally rhotic, but this word contains no /r/; focus on clear /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tiz/ with a full /juː/ glide. Vowel quality: /ɪ/ in the second and third syllables; keep it lax but not reduced to /ə/. - UK: often non-rhotic; /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tɪz/ with slightly shorter final vowel; keep /tɪz/ or /təz/ depending on pace. - AU: tends toward broader vowels, keeping /juː/ as a tight glide; final /ɪz/ is often pronounced as /ɪz/ but can be reduced in casual speech. Use IPA anchors: /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tiz/ vs /kəˈmjuː.nɪ.tɪz/.
The word communities comes from Middle English comune, from Old French comunité, from Latin communitas, from communis meaning ‘common, shared by many’. The root commun- relates to ‘common, public’; the suffix -itas denotes a state or quality. The sense progression moves from “a shared public thing” to “a body of people sharing attributes or residence” and then to “a social group with shared interests.” The earliest English attestations date to the 14th century in religious and civic contexts, evolving through Latin liturgical and legal vocabulary into secular sociology during the 18th–19th centuries. By the modern era, communities broadly denote social collectives bound by locality, culture, profession, or digital affiliation. Over time, the term has expanded to include abstract or virtual communities, where shared identity exists despite geographic dispersion. In contemporary usage, “communities” often implies active participation, mutual aid, governance, and social capital among members. First known use in print traces to late medieval civic life, where “communities” described towns and guilds organized around common interests and resources.
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Words that rhyme with "communities"
-ies sounds
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