One syllable: Scents.
sents
/sɛnts/
Scents is pronounced sents (/sɛnts/). It has one syllable (Scents), with the stress on "Scents". Scents is a plural noun meaning pleasant smells or fragrances, or the sense of smell in general. It can also refer to an odor produced by something. The word commonly contrasts with sents or cents in spelling but is pronounced the same in most dialects.
nounScents is a plural noun meaning pleasant smells or fragrances, or the sense of smell in general. It can also refer to an odor produced by something. The word commonly contrasts with sents or cents in spelling but is pronounced the same in most dialects.
- You may merge the final /t/ and /s/ into a single consonant, pronouncing it like /sɛnts/ without a clear boundary; fix by forcing a quick, clean release of /t/ followed by the /s/ release. - Some speakers devoice the final /z/ or confuse with /s/-sound; keep the final /s/ voiceless and crisp to match the /ts/ cluster. - Another error is pronouncing the vowel as /e/ or /æ/ instead of /ɛ/; ensure the vowel in the stressed syllable is the open-mid /ɛ/ as in ‘bet’. - Reduce the nasal before the /t/ leading to a slurred /nt/; practice by inserting a tiny aspirated friction before the /t/.
How to Pronounce Scents
"The garden is full of blooming flowers and delightful scents."
"Fresh coffee filled the room with a rich, earthy scent."
"He followed the scent of pine through the forest."
Pronounce it as /sɛnts/ with a short E as in 'bet'. The final cluster is a voiceless /nt/ followed by a voiceless /s/; keep the /t/ crisp and let the /s/ release clearly. Stress is on the single syllable, with no secondary stress. Imagine saying 'sent' but end with a soft /s/ to reflect the plural meaning. Audio references: you can compare with 'cents' in most dialects, or listen to recordings on Pronounce or Cambridge for US/UK variants.
Two common errors: (1) Slurring the final /ts/ into a single /t/ or /s/ (saying 'sent' or 'sents' with a weak release). (2) Dropping the final /s/ or nasalizing the /n/ before the /t/. To correct: clearly release /t/ then release /s/ in a quick but distinct manner; keep the tongue behind the upper teeth for /n/ and quickly move to /t/ and /s/. Practice with a mirror and slow tempo before increasing speed.
In US and UK, /sɛnts/ is common; both are non-rhotic in some UK regions, but the word itself remains /sɛnts/. Australian English tends toward clear enunciation of /t/ and /s/, sometimes with a slightly more released /t/; rhotics are less relevant here because the word ends in a voiceless cluster. Overall, the vowel quality of /ɛ/ is similar, but you might hear subtle vowel length differences and a crisper /s/ release in Australian speech.
The difficulty lies in the final consonant cluster /nt s/ after a short /ɛ/. Many learners blend /nts/ into either /n/ or /nts/ with reduced clarity, and some L1 backgrounds mispronounce the /t/ or drop the final /s/. The result can sound like 'sent' or 'sects' if the /s/ is elided. Focused practice on the crisp /t/ release and the subsequent /s/ is essential; exercises that isolate the /nt/ + /s/ sequence are especially helpful.
Scents combines a short stressed vowel and a tightly linked nasal-alveolar stop sequence (/s ɛ n t s/). Unique to its spelling is the silent letter awareness around similar words; while cents or scents share the same pronunciation in most dialects, the plural form scents distinctly marks plurality in writing. You’ll often hear it in fragrance descriptions as opposed to sense, which is a different noun with a vowel change and no final /t s/ cluster.
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- US: Clear /sɛnts/ with a slightly stronger /t/ release; non-rhotic accents may have subtle vowel length differences before a voiceless cluster. - UK: Maintain non-rhotic tendencies in some speakers, but the word itself remains with /r/ non-rhoticized; emphasize the crisp /t/ and a final /s/ for clarity. - AU: Expect more precise articulation of /t/ and /s/, with a robust /s/ at the end and a brighter vowel /ɛ/. IPA notes: US /sɛnts/, UK /sɛnts/, AU /sɛnts/. - Common pitfalls include eliding the /t/ or merging /t/ and /s/; keep the two distinct sounds for intelligibility.
Scents derives from the Old French scent, from Latin scentus meaning ‘a smell’ or ‘scent,’ related to Sanskrit san- ‘to smell’. Its modern sense of ‘a pleasant smell’ emerged by the late Middle English period, aligning with the broader semantic field of aroma and fragrance. The spelling evolved with the Great Vowel Shift and orthographic standardization in Early Modern English, which preserved the pronunciation /sɛnts/ while the stem scent remained linked to scent, sense, and scenting. The plural form scents first appears in English texts around the 16th–17th centuries, reflecting the shift from singular reference to sets of odors. Over time, ‘scents’ also gained metaphorical uses in literature to describe intangible perceptual impressions, though in contemporary use it remains primarily literal. The word’s pronunciation has remained stable in rhotic dialects, while non-rhotic varieties still align the final ‘ts’ with a voiceless /ts/ release, producing the same spoken form as ‘cents’ and ‘sense’ in many contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Scents" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Scents" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Scents"
-nts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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