2 syllables: fact, ors. Stress on fact.
FAK-turz
/ˈfæktɚz/
factors is pronounced FAK-turz (/ˈfæktɚz/). It has two syllables (fact-ors), with the stress on "fact". Factors refers to the elements or variables that contribute to a result or outcome. It is a plural noun used to discuss multiple influences, determinants, or considerations in a given situation. In analysis or discussion, you’ll often enumerate the factors that affect a decision, process, or phenomenon.
Factors refers to the elements or variables that contribute to a result or outcome. It is a plural noun used to discuss multiple influences, determinants, or considerations in a given situation. In analysis or discussion, you’ll often enumerate the factors that affect a decision, process, or phenomenon.
"Economic factors such as inflation and interest rates influence consumer spending."
"The study identified several factors that contribute to healthy aging."
"Company performance depends on a range of factors, including market demand and operational efficiency."
Pronounce it as /ˈfæk.tərz/ in US and UK English, with primary stress on the first syllable. Your tongue sits high in the front for /æ/, the second syllable uses a schwa /tər/ with a light, almost reduced vowel, and a voiced /z/ at the end. Audio reference: you can hear this pattern in contexts with ‘actors’ or ‘tractors’ in standard pronunciation sources.
Common errors: (1) Over-pronouncing the second syllable by saying a full /ə(r)/ with a strong /r/; (2) Deleting the /ɹ/ or using a soft /z/ instead of /z/ at the end. Correction: reduce the second syllable to a quick /tər/ with a light, voiced final /z/, ensuring /æ/ in the first syllable remains lax and short. Focus on the final /z/ being a clear voicing rather than a hiss.
US/UK share /ˈfæk.tərz/ with a rhotacized or rhotic ending; US and UK both voice the final /z/. Australian English can realize the second syllable as a slightly more centralized /tə/ and may reduce the /ɹ/ a touch depending on speaker. In all, the main difference is the degree of rhoticity and vowel quality in the second syllable; the initial /æk/ vowel remains consistent.
The challenge lies in the two-syllable rhythm with a stressed first syllable and a voiced final consonant cluster /ɚz/ that often reduces in rapid speech. The mid-vowel in the second syllable can blur into a schwa, making the /t/ and /r/ linking less obvious in some dialects. Achieving a crisp /t/ before /ər/ and a clear /z/ requires precise tongue and lip positioning and careful voicing timing.
The unique aspect is the vowel of the first syllable /æ/ combined with a quick, reduced second syllable /tər/ and a final /z/. This creates a characteristic glide and syllable timing that can be mis-specified as /ˈfæktərs/ by some learners if the /æ/ is too open or if the /t/ is unreleased. Emphasize a clear /t/ followed by a proper /ər/ and the final /z/.
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Factors comes from the Latin factor, meaning 'maker, doer, something done' and more specifically from actus ‘a doing, act’ alongside -or, a suffix used to indicate agent or instrument. In English, factor emerged in the 16th–17th centuries in mathematical and scientific contexts as ‘one who acts’ or ‘an element that contributes to a result.’ The modern sense of a contributing element or determinant shows up in the 19th century, often in scientific, statistical, and economic writing. The plural form factors mirrors other English nouns ending in -or that form the plural with -s (e.g., actor → actors) though pronunciation remains with a silent r in non-rhotic varieties. First known uses appear in academic and mathematical discourse as analysts began enumerating factors affecting outcomes, and the term subsequently broadened into general usage for any contributing elements.
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Words that rhyme with "factors"
-ors sounds
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