One syllable: Pints.
peyents
/paɪnts/
Pints is pronounced peyents (/paɪnts/). It has one syllable (Pints), with the stress on "Pints". Pints is the plural noun for a unit of liquid measure (one pint equals 16 fluid ounces in the US and 568 milliliters in many Commonwealth countries). In everyday speech, it also refers to servings of beer or other beverages typically served in pint glasses. The word is short, with a single stressed syllable, and is pronounced with a clear final /s/.
nounPints is the plural noun for a unit of liquid measure (one pint equals 16 fluid ounces in the US and 568 milliliters in many Commonwealth countries). In everyday speech, it also refers to servings of beer or other beverages typically served in pint glasses. The word is short, with a single stressed syllable, and is pronounced with a clear final /s/.
- You may dip for /aɪ/ as /aɪˈ/ or misarticulate with a lax vowel; fix by focusing on the crisp /aɪ/ glide from /a/ to /ɪ/ within one syllable and keeping lips neutral at onset. - Final consonant cluster /nts/ is often simplified to /n/ or /ns/; practice by isolating the /t/ and /s/ with a micro-release, like saying /t/ quickly then immediately /s/ to avoid a glottal stop. - Some speakers insert an extra vowel before the /s/ or delete the /t/; train with minimal pairs and deliberate slow practice to maintain the /t/ before the /s/.
How to Pronounce Pints
"I’ll have two pints of lager, please."
"The pub offered pints at a discounted rate tonight."
"We bought pints to share while watching the game."
Pronounce it as /paɪnts/. The stress falls on the only syllable. Start with the diphthong /aɪ/ like ‘my’ or ‘high,’ then end with /nts/. Make sure the /t/ is released into the final /s/ so it sounds like /ɪnts/ rather than a clipped /n(ts)/. In careful speech, you’ll hear a light, crisp /t/ before the voiceless /s/; in rapid or connected speech, the /t/ can be subtle, but keep the /s/ clear: paɪnts.
Two common mistakes are: 1) dropping the final /t/ and ending with /paɪns/ or /paɪn s/, which sounds off in many contexts. 2) Mispronouncing /aɪ/ as /eɪ/ or /ɪ/; use the correct high-front diphthong /aɪ/ as in ‘high’ or ‘fight.’ To correct, practice the sequence /p/ + /aɪ/ + /nts/ slowly, then blend the /t/ with the /s/ (no strong pause). Finally, ensure your tongue slides to the high-front position for /aɪ/ and that the final /s/ remains voiceless.
Across accents, the core /paɪnts/ is similar, but you may notice: US tends to have a lighter /t/ release before /s/, UK often maintains a crisper /t/ in careful speech, and Australian might show a slightly more centralized vowel quality in /aɪ/ and a touch of vowel reduction in faster speech. The rhoticity doesn't affect this word since /r/ isn’t present. Pay attention to the voiceless /s/ at the end in all dialects, and some speakers may voice the /t/ slightly (flap or tap in rapid speech) before /s/; avoid that for clear enunciation.
The difficulty lies in the final /nts/ cluster: producing a crisp /t/ release followed by /s/ without a vowel between them can feel tricky, especially in rapid speech. Also, the /aɪ/ diphthong requires a smooth glide from /a/ to /ɪ/ without flattening into a pure /a/ or /i/. Some speakers unintentionally insert a schwa or misplace the tongue for /t/—leading to a t-alveolar lift that blurs into /n/ or a slurred /nts/. Focus on transitioning from the vowel into a clean /nt/ touch before the /s/.
A unique aspect is the final /nts/ cluster produced by a stop consonant immediately followed by a voiceless fricative. You’ll want a crisp /t/ release that clearly connects into the /s/ without a pause. This requires keeping the tongue at the alveolar ridge for both /t/ and /s/ with a quick, controlled release. In social contexts, you’ll often hear a shorter, quicker /t/ before /s/ in fast speech, but for clarity and standard pronunciation, articulate the /t/ as a distinct release.
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- US: emphasize the rhoticity and keep the vowel /aɪ/ bright; UK: maintain the crisper /t/ release before /s/ and slightly longer /ɪ/ in the diphthong; AU: may exhibit a flatter /aɪ/ with a quicker glide to /ɪ/ and a lighter /t/ release. IPA references: /paɪnts/ across dialects, with minor vowel quality shifts such as /aɪ/ length and /t/ release. - Boundaries: avoid blending /t/ into the /n/ or /s/; ensure the tongue taps the alveolar ridge for both /t/ and /s/ to create a clean /nts/ cluster. - Mouth positions: lips neutral, tongue tip at the alveolar ridge, blade of the tongue to resist dropping into /n/ before /t/; keep airflow steady for the final /s/.
Pints comes from the medieval Latin puncta (‘points’) via Old French pint, ultimately related to the unit’s function as a measure: a pint originally meant a division or portion, specifically a standard measure of capacity. The modern English pint derives from Middle English pint(e), from Old French pinto(m) or pint, which traces to Latin punctum ‘point’ or ‘dot’, in reference to a precise division or mark on a vessel. By the 14th–16th centuries, pint had become a defined unit in both the US customary system and British imperial system, with regional definitions (16 fluid ounces in US; 20 fluid ounces per pint in the UK pre-1920s metric reforms evolving to 20 imperial fl oz). Its culinary and beverage usage solidified in tavern and grocery contexts, especially associated with beer and ale in British and American culture. The spelling and pronunciation stabilized into /paɪnts/ in General American and /paɪnts/ in Received Pronunciation; the core vowel sound reflects the long i as /aɪ/ and the final /ts/ cluster common to English voicings. The word’s function as a unit and a common beverage measure has remained stable since the early modern period, with little semantic drift beyond referring to plural servings.
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Words that rhyme with "Pints"
-nts sounds
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