3 syllables: em, ploy, ment. Stress on ploy.
em-PLOY-muhnt
/ɛmˈplɔɪmənt/
employment is pronounced em-PLOY-muhnt (/ɛmˈplɔɪmənt/). It has three syllables (em-ploy-ment), with the stress on "ploy". Employment refers to the state of having paid work or a position of service within an organization. It also denotes the comprehensive activity of hiring, onboarding, and organizing labor. In everyday use, it can describe job opportunities, career prospects, or the act of employing someone to perform tasks. The term encompasses the duties, conditions, and duration of work engagement.
Employment refers to the state of having paid work or a position of service within an organization. It also denotes the comprehensive activity of hiring, onboarding, and organizing labor. In everyday use, it can describe job opportunities, career prospects, or the act of employing someone to perform tasks. The term encompasses the duties, conditions, and duration of work engagement.
"She found employment as a software engineer after graduate school."
"The company announced a pause in hiring and several employees lost their employment benefits."
"Temporary employment can provide flexible work without long-term commitments."
Pronounce it as /ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/ in US and UK; AU is similar. Break it into em-ploy-ment with the primary stress on the second syllable: em-PLY-ment. Start with a short /ɪ/ as in it, then the /m/, then a stressed /ˈplɔɪ/ diphthong, followed by a weak /mənt/ ending. Focus on the /plɔɪ/ cluster where the oɪ diphthong combines with a voiceless t; ensure the t lands as a clear but light alveolar stop. For a natural cadence, lightly reduce the final syllable to /mənt/. You can listen to models on Pronounce or Forvo and mimic native rhythm.
Two common errors: 1) Flattening the /ɔɪ/ into a plain /ɔ/ or /oː/; instead, produce the proper /ɔɪ/ glide: start with /ɔ/ then glide to /ɪ/ toward the second part of the syllable. 2) Dropping or misplacing the stress, leading to em-PLOI-ment or em-LOI-ment. Ensure you stress the second syllable /ˈplɔɪ/ and keep the final /mənt/ distinct. Practice with minimal pairs that emphasize the diphthong and the syllable boundary.
US: /ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/, rhotic, clear /r/ not relevant here but American intonation is more stressed on the second syllable. UK: /ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/ non-rhotic; you’ll drop linking r and often have a slightly tighter vowel in /ɔɪ/. AU: /ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/ similar to UK, with Australian vowel quality: broader, sometimes closer to /æ/ in some speakers, but often keep /ɔɪ/ distinctly. Across all, the main difference is vowel quality and rhoticity; the stress pattern remains the same. Listen for the /ɔɪ/ diphthong and final /mənt/.
Because it blends a trisyllabic structure with a challenging /plɔɪ/ diphthong and a final /mənt/. The /pl/ consonant cluster requires precise timing; the /ɔɪ/ is a difficult mid-to-high front back glide; and the final /mənt/ reduces to a schwa-like /mənt/ that can blur in fluent speech. Mastery demands careful articulation of the /pl/ release and a controlled, light /nt/ at the end, while maintaining correct syllable boundaries. IPA cues help you monitor articulation.
In fast, natural speech, some speakers reduce the second syllable slightly, still retaining the /plɔɪ/ sequence as a unit. You may hear a reduced /ɪmˈplɔɪˌmənt/ where the middle /ə/ becomes a schwa and lightly links to /mənt/. The core is keeping the diphthong /ɔɪ/ intact and not compressing it into /ɔɪm/ or misplacing the stress. Use careful timing to maintain intelligibility.
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Employment originates from the Old French emploi, from late Latin impolitus (not directly). The core idea evolved from the verb emploier (to use, to employ), based on Latin operari (to work) and on opus, operis (work, labor). In Middle English, emploi shifted toward “a use of one’s services” and “the act of employing.” By the 18th and 19th centuries, English speakers began to treat employment as the state or condition of being employed, and later as a broad term for job, position, or work engagement within a company. The word carried industrial and legal implications, such as contracts of employment and terms of service, which became standard in labor law discourse. Over time, employment also broadened to include “the act of using resources,” but in modern usage the labor-market sense dominates, especially in HR, economics, and policy contexts. First known use as a noun in English appears in the early modern period, with similar forms in French (emploi) influencing English adoption.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "employment" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "employment"
-ent sounds
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