Crutches are a pair of small, movable supports used to aid walking after injury or surgery, helping bear weight and maintain balance. They’re typically made of wood or metal with rubber tips and hand grips. The term also metaphorically describes something that tempers or reduces one’s own effort. Used in medical or everyday contexts, crutches are a practical mobility aid for temporary use.
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"She injured her ankle and had to rely on crutches for several weeks."
"The patient should adjust the crutches to elbow height for proper support."
"With crutches, you’ll need to learn a coordinated step-and-move rhythm."
"He told the nurse the crutches were uncomfortable and needed padding."
The word crutch derives from Old English crucce, linked to the Proto-Germanic root *krukþuz and related to the sense of a staff or staff-like support. The modern form crutch appears in Middle English as cruche or crutte, evolving in the 13th–16th centuries to describe a staff used to aid walking. The plural crutches developed as a natural extension of the noun to denote a pair of supports; the meaning broadened during medical discourse as devices designed to transfer weight from the leg to the upper body. The metaphorical use—‘to be a crutch’ meaning something providing support in a non-physical sense—emerged in English by the 19th century, paralleling the word’s ongoing association with assistance and stabilization. First known written attestations appear in medical and household texts from Britain, with widespread adoption in American English by the late 1800s as modern mobility aids became standard in rehabilitation and orthopedics.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "crutches" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "crutches"
-hes sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˈkrʌtʃɪz/ (US/UK) with a stressed first syllable. The consonant cluster /kr/ starts with a fronted /k/ plosive and a rounded /r/ before the /ʌ/ or /ə/ vowel; then /tʃ/ as in 'church', followed by /ɪ/ and the final /z/. In careful speech you may hear a brief /ɚ/ in some American speakers, but most pronounce a clear /ɪ/ before the final /z/. Mouth position: lips neutral, tongue high for /r/ and /tʃ/, jaw slightly dropped for /ʌ/ or /ə/. Audio reference: listen to pronouncing dictionaries or Forvo entries for /ˈkrʌtʃɪz/.
Common errors: misplacing stress (say ‘CRU-thes’ or ‘crutch-ES’), and mispronouncing /tʃ/ as /ʃ/ or /t/ followed by /s/. Another error is pronouncing the second syllable as /ˈkɹʌt.tɪz/ with a separate syllabic /t/. Corrections: keep primary stress on the first syllable, ensure the /tʃ/ is a single affricate sound [tʃ], and end with a voiced /z/ rather than /s/. Practice with minimal pairs: /ˈkrʌtʃɪz/ vs /ˈkrʌt.sɪz/ and hold the /tʃ/ until the vowel completes. Use a slow, segmented practice to anchor the articulation.
In US English, /ˈkrʌtʃɪz/ with rhotic /r/ sounding clearly before the vowel. UK English tends to have a shorter, flatter /ʌ/ in some regions and a crisp /tʃ/; final /z/ remains voiced. Australian English often features a broader vowel in /ʌ/ and a slightly more fronted /ɪ/; rhoticity varies, with some speakers sounding less pronounced /r/ before vowels. Despite variation, the /tʃ/ and final /ɪz/ are consistently recognizable across accents.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster at the start /kr/ and the affricate /tʃ/ sequence immediately before /ɪz/. Coarticulation makes /r/ and /tʃ/ influence each other, and ending with a voiced /z/ requires precise voicing onset after an unstressed vowel. Learners often misplace tongue and jaw tension, leading to misarticulations like /krʌtˈsɪz/ or /krʊtʃɪz/. Focus on sustaining a clean /tʃ/ and a clear /z/ after a short, clipped vowel.
A unique feature is maintaining the strong onset cluster /kr/ followed immediately by /tʃ/. This requires precise tongue positioning: tip to alveolar ridge for /r/ and a quick transition to the palatal /tʃ/ with the blade of the tongue contacting the hard palate. The word’s final /ɪz/ can cause study of voicing contrast: be sure to voice /z/ rather than /s/ in final position to avoid a hissy ending. IPA reference: /ˈkrʌtʃɪz/.
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