2 syllables: die, ts. Stress on die.
DEYE-its
/ˈdaɪ.ɪts/
diets is pronounced DEYE-its (/ˈdaɪ.ɪts/). It has two syllables (die-ts), with the stress on "die". Diets refers to plans or regimes for eating, or the amount and kind of foods consumed by a person or group. It can denote a set of established dietary guidelines or restrictions, often focused on weight loss or health. The term functions as a plural noun in most contexts and contrasts with ongoing eating habits or lifestyle, highlighting specific periods of intentional food choices.
Diets refers to plans or regimes for eating, or the amount and kind of foods consumed by a person or group. It can denote a set of established dietary guidelines or restrictions, often focused on weight loss or health. The term functions as a plural noun in most contexts and contrasts with ongoing eating habits or lifestyle, highlighting specific periods of intentional food choices.
- You may mispronounce the first syllable by elongating the vowel too long as in /ˈdiː/; keep it as /ˈdaɪ/ with a crisp diphthong. - The middle vowel in the second syllable may become /ə/ or /ɪ/ too strongly; practice the lighter /ɪ/ or schwa and glide to the /t/ quickly. - Final cluster /ts/ can be swallowed or whispered; ensure you release the /t/ and pronounce the /s/ as an unvoiced sibilant. - In rapid speech, you may fuse /ɪt/ with /s/; practice with a short pause between /ɪt/ and /s/ to avoid like /ˈdaɪz/.
"Different cultures have very different diets that influence health outcomes."
"The new nutrition guidelines sparked debates about popular diets like keto and paleo."
"She switched to a plant-based diet after learning about environmental impacts."
Pronounce as /ˈdaɪ.ɪts/ in US and AU, with primary stress on the first syllable. The first syllable sounds like “die” /daɪ/, the second is a short /ɪ/ as in “bit” followed by a final /ts/ cluster. In UK English you’ll hear /ˈdaɪ.əts/ with a reduced second vowel /ə/ before the /ts/. Tip: keep tension on the tongue for /d/ and snap into the /t/ quickly before the /s/.
Common errors: (1) Over-simplifying to /ˈdiː.ɪts/ with a long first vowel; correct to /ˈdaɪ.ɪts/ with a diphthong /aɪ/. (2) Merging the second syllable into a quick, unclear /ɪts/—practice the /ɪ/ before the /t/ clearly and release into /ts/. (3) Deleting the final /t/ or /s/; keep the /t/ release before the /s/ cluster to avoid /ˈdaɪ.z/ or /ˈdaɪts/ without final s.
US: /ˈdaɪ.ɪts/, strong first syllable, clear /t/ before /s/. UK: /ˈdaɪ.əts/ with a reduced second vowel /ə/—the /t/ often lightly released and the /s/ may be voiceless. AU: /ˈdaɪ.ɪts/ similar to US but with slightly flatter vowel quality and less rhoticity influence, if any. In all, the main variation is the second syllable vowel: /ɪ/ vs /ə/.
Key difficulty lies in the syllable boundary and rapid transition: the diphthong in the first syllable /aɪ/ must be crisp, followed by a light /ɪ/ or /ə/ in the second syllable, then the /ts/ cluster. The sequence of a voiced/voiceless transition across the boundary can blur in fast speech. Positioning the tongue for /d/ and releasing into /ɪ/ before the /t/ helps avoid fusion that makes it sound like /ˈdaɪz/.
A helpful trick is to think in two beats: Beat 1 = /ˈdaɪ/ with a strong, explosive /d/ start; Beat 2 = /ɪts/ where you lightly raise tongue for /ɪ/ and then snap into /t/ followed by the unvoiced /s/. Practicing the sequence slowly and then accelerating will preserve the /ɪts/ cluster without swallowing the final /s/.
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- US: Strong rhotic support typically absent in this word, but keep height on /aɪ/ and treat /ɪ/ as a short near-close unrounded vowel. - UK: Use a softer /ə/ in the second syllable, and ensure the /t/ is released before /s/, with a potential lengthened final s. - AU: Similar to US, but with slightly more centralized vowels; ensure non-rhotic tendencies don't blur /t/ and /s/; keep a crisp /ts/ cluster. IPA references: US /ˈdaɪ.ɪts/; UK /ˈdaɪ.əts/; AU /ˈdaɪ.ɪts/.
Diets comes from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, meaning a way of life or a prescribed course of living, especially with reference to diet and regimen. The root diaita stems from dia- 'through' + haidein 'to lead, guide' in ancient Greek. In Classical Latin, diaeta appeared as diaeta, adopted into later medical and religious vocabularies to describe a regimen or mode of life. In English, the plural diets emerged in the 15th century, originally referencing modes of living or daily habits, occasionally describing a set of rules for meals. By the 19th and 20th centuries, the sense narrowed to nutritional plans or restrictions, popularized through medical, fitness, and wellness discourses. The modern sense often centers on structured eating plans (e.g., weight loss diets) rather than general life conduct. First known use in English appears in late Middle English medical literature, with variations in spelling across sources before stabilizing into Diets for plural dietary regimens.
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Words that rhyme with "diets"
-tes sounds
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