/ɹiˈmɪtəns/
Say it backRemittance refers to money sent by a person in one country to another, typically to family or friends. It often involves international transfers via banks or money-transfer services and can be a significant part of the recipient’s income in developing regions. The term emphasizes the act of sending funds across borders for support or payment.
- Mistake: Overemphasizing the second syllable with heavy stress on ri-MI-tance; correction: keep MIT as the stressed syllable, use a sharp, brief /t/ before the schwa. - Mistake: Slurring /t/ into /d/ or dropping the /t/ in fast speech; correction: articulate a clear /t/ and avoid alveolar flapping before /əns/. - Mistake: Incorrect vowel quality in /ɪ/ (too close to /iː/ or /eɪ/); correction: maintain a short, lax /ɪ/ as in KIT, not a long or tense vowel. - Mistake: Final /əns/ merging too strongly into /ns/; correction: keep a light schwa and a distinct /n/ before /s/.
"- He sent a monthly remittance to his parents back home."
"- The government tracks remittance flows as part of its economic data."
"- Remittance costs can eat into the amount sent if the transfer fees are high."
Pronounce it as rɪ-ˈmɪt-əns, with primary stress on the second syllable: ri-MIT-ance. Start with a short, relaxed /r/, then a quick /ɪ/ into /ˈmɪt/. The final /əns/ is a light schwa followed by a clear /n/ and /s/. For reference, listen to native speakers on pronunciation platforms and note the placement of the stressed syllable.IPA guides: US: /rɪˈmɪt.əns/; UK: /rɪˈmɪt.əns/; AU: /rɪˈmɪt.əns/.
Two common errors: 1) Overemphasizing the second syllable as ri-MI-tance with equal stress, which muddles the word; 2) Slurring the /t/ into the following /əns/ making it /ˈmɪtən(t)s/ or turning /t/ into a soft /d/ in connected speech. Correction: keep the stress on MIT, crisp /t/ before the /ə/ and maintain a clear /n/ before /s/. Practice by isolating /mɪt/ at a steady tempo, then add /əns at the end.
Across accents, the main differences are vowel quality and rhotics. In US English, /r/ is pronounced, giving /rɪˈmɪt.əns/. In many UK varieties, /r/ is less rhotic or non-rhotic in some regions, affecting the transition into the /ɹ/-like sound; however, remittance remains /rɪˈmɪt.əns/ in general RP contexts. Australian English follows US-like rhoticity and a similar /ɪ/ vowel in MIT, with a slightly more centralized ending. Pay attention to the /ɪ/ vs. /ə/ distinctions and the r-coloring.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable rhythm with stress on MIT and the quick shift from a short /ɪ/ to a schwa in the final unstressed syllable. The /t/ before a nasal can become a light tap in rapid speech, and the final /əns/ can reduce to a syllabic /ns/ in fast speech. Practice slow articulation to anchor the /t/ and ensure the final -ance remains heard as a distinct /əns/.
Is the /ˈmɪt/ portion more like ‘mitt’ as in mitten or more like ‘met’? It’s closer to MIT (as in mitten without the -ten), with a short /ɪ/ vowel as in KIT. The key is a crisp /t/ before the /ə/; avoid turning /t/ into a softened /d/ or letting the /t/ become a flap in rapid speech. IPA: rɪˈmɪt.əns.
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- US: rhotic /r/ in initial syllable sounds; crisp /t/ in MIT; neutral /ə/ in the final; IPA: /rɪˈmɪt.əns/. - UK: often non-rhotic in careful speech; baseline /r/ is subdued; use /rɪˈmɪt.əns/ with slight non-rhoticity; /ˈmɪt/ syllable still stressed. - AU: rhotic and similar to US; quick, clear /t/ before the /ə/; slight vowel rounding on the /ɪ/; IPA: /rɪˈmɪt.əns/.
Remittance comes from the verb remit, which in turn comes from the Latin remittere, meaning to send back, release, or let go. In Latin, re- means back or again, mittere means to send. The sense evolved in Medieval and Early Modern English to denote sending money as payment from one person or country to another. The first known uses in English date to the 17th century in financial contexts, where merchants and traders described funds being sent to lenders or partners. Over time, remittance sharpened into a technical term in economics and migration studies, referring specifically to funds sent by migrants to their home countries. In contemporary usage, it often appears in discussions of household finance and macroeconomic stability in recipient economies, and it has acquired a broader sense of cross-border monetary support beyond formal banking channels.
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Words that rhyme with "remittance"
-ent sounds
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