3 syllables: con, test, ants. Stress on test.
kuhn-TES-tuhnts
/kəˈntɛstənts/
contestants is pronounced kuhn-TES-tuhnts (/kəˈntɛstənts/). It has three syllables (con-test-ants), with the stress on "test". Contestants refers to people who take part in a competition or contest. It identifies individuals contending for a prize or title. The term emphasizes the participants as competitors in a structured event, often judged or ranked. The plural form highlights multiple entrants rather than a single contestant.
Contestants refers to people who take part in a competition or contest. It identifies individuals contending for a prize or title. The term emphasizes the participants as competitors in a structured event, often judged or ranked. The plural form highlights multiple entrants rather than a single contestant.
"The contestants will perform a series of challenges tonight."
"Several contestants advanced to the final round."
"Judges announced the scores as the contestants waited nervously."
Break it as con-TEST-ants, with primary stress on TEST. IPA US/UK/AU: /ˈkɒnˌtɛsˌtænts/. Start with /k/ at the front, jaw slightly dropped, then a short /ɒ/ or /ɒ/ depending on accent, move to /tɛ/ and finish with /sˌtænts/ where the t-s cluster is pronounced distinctly. Emphasize the second syllable in casual speech but keep the final -ants clear. You’ll hear the rhythm as three evenly timed syllables after the initial ‘con’. Practicing slowly helps you lock the three-stress pattern and avoid blending the middle consonants.
Two frequent errors: 1) flattening the middle syllable so it sounds like con-TES-ants without the light secondary stress; 2) rushing the final -ants cluster, merging /t/ and /s/ or swallowing the -t of -ants. Correction: articulate /t/ before /æ/ clearly, and give the final -ants a light, audible /nts/ rather than a fleeting /nts/. Practice with slowed tempo and intentional emphasis on the second syllable, then gradually normalize speed.
In General US, the first syllable is /ˈkɒn/ with short o, and secondary stress on TEST; UK often uses /ˈkɒnˌtestənts/ with clearer /t/ release and slightly broader vowels; Australian tends to a flatter /ɒ/ in the first syllable and a stronger /æ/ in -ants, with a smoother transitions between syllables. Rhythm remains three-syllable with stress on TEST, but vowel qualities shift slightly by accent. The rhoticity doesn’t affect these pronunciations much since /ɒ/ is non-rhotic/ rhotic decisions may affect the post-vocalic r in the surrounding context, not in contestants itself.
Because it mixes a stressed mid syllable with a consonant cluster at the end and a short, closed vowel in the middle. The sequence con-/TEST-/ants requires precise timing: release before the /t/, then a crisp /nts/ without adding extra vowels. The risk is vowel reduction in fast speech and glottalized or altered /t/. Focus on three distinct syllables, keeping the /t/ and /s/ clear in the final cluster.
The word has a clear tri-syllabic rhythm with the strongest stress on the second syllable TEST. Make sure each syllable is distinctly heard: con - TEST - ants. Don’t merge the finals with an extra -er or -r sound that some speakers unintentionally add in rapid speech; keep the final /ænts/ audible and separate from the preceding /t/.
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Contestants derives from the noun contest, meaning a struggle or competition, from Latin contestare ‘to contend, dispute,’ rooted in con- ‘together’ and testare ‘to test, try’. The suffix -ant denotes a person who does or is associated with an action, and -s marks the plural. The word entered English via Old French contest, then Middle English, with early uses referring to people who contend in a competition or legal dispute. Over centuries, the meaning narrowed to participants in a competitive event, maintaining the core idea of contention or rivalry. By the 19th and 20th centuries, the sense expanded to organized contests such as sports, talent shows, and exams, where contestants are clearly identified as entrants subject to adjudication. The pronunciation stabilized with stress on the second syllable (con-TEST-ants), aligning with general English stress patterns for three-syllable nouns formed from the root contest and the agentive -ant suffix. Historically, contest has Latin roots in con- ‘together’ and testare ‘to testify, prove,’ with -est- reflecting older Germanic roots that carried the sense of striving or contending. First known use of the plural form contestant(s) in English literature traces to the late 17th to early 18th centuries, aligning with formalized competitions and designs of leagues, exhibitions, and public trials.
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Words that rhyme with "contestants"
-nts sounds
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