Sprouts refers to young shoots or buds of plants, especially vegetables like sprouts from beans or seeds, used as food. It can also mean early growth or beginnings of something. In everyday use, it often denotes edible germinated seeds or the process of developing new shoots in gardening or metaphorical growth.
- You might soften the final /ts/ to /t/ or /s/; keep a crisp alveolar stop followed by a voiceless /s/. - Another error is mispronouncing the diphthong /aʊ/ as a simple /a/ or /ɔ/ sound; practice the glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ quickly. - Some speakers insert an extra vowel before /t/ (spr- out-s); avoid an unnecessary schwa after /r/; keep the syllable compact. - In fast speech, make sure the /t/ and /s/ aren’t merged into a single sound; separate briefly but not overly long. - Striving for a perfect /sp/ blend; ensure the initial /sp/ is clean without an intrusive vowel. Practice with minimal pairs and rhythmic drills to fix timing.
- US: prominent /r/ rhoticity affects the preceding vowel of the syllable; maintain a fuller /ɹ/ followed by /aʊ/ if local US dialects devoiced; AAC: /sprɑʊts/ with a strong /aʊ/ diphthong and crisp /ts/. - UK: more clipped vowels; /sprɒts/ or /sprɒʊts/ in some dialects; final /ts/ remains strong. - AU: tends to be non-rhotic like UK; vowel quality may be centralized; /spɹaʊts/ or /spɒts/; ensure the /t/ is released before /s/. - Key IPA anchors: US /spraʊts/, UK /sprɒts/ (or /sprɔːts/ in some regions), AU /spɹaʊts/. - Practice with mouth positions: lips neutral, tongue high for /aʊ/ glide, then alveolar /t/ and /s/ clearly.
"- The farmer harvested fresh sprouts for the market today."
"- If you let the beans sprout, you’ll have crunchy greens for salads."
"- She watched the sprouts push up through the soil in the spring."
"- The startup showed rapid sprouts of activity after the funding round."
Sprouts comes from the Middle English sprouten, meaning to bud or grow, from Old French esprouteer and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *brūtaną meaning to sprout or burst forth. The word has ancient ties to plant growth and germination, reflecting a literal emergence from seeds. In English, sprouts evolved from describing the action of budding into a common noun for new plant growth and, in culinary use, edible young shoots (e.g., bean sprouts). The sense of sudden emergence—rapid growth into something new—also carries metaphorical weight in business or ideas. First known uses appear in Middle English texts around the 14th century, with the agricultural sense solidifying in Early Modern English as horticultural practices popularized the consumption of sprouted seeds and shoots. Over time, “sprouts” broadened to colloquial references to early or budding stages and to the general idea of growth spurts in various contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Sprouts" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Sprouts" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Sprouts"
-uts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronunciation: /spraʊts/ (US) or /sprɒts/ (UK). The word has a single stressed syllable: spr-outs. The vowel in the first syllable is a diphthong in US; in many UK accents it is a clipped /ɒ/ or /ɒʊ/ depending on region. Start with an open-front rounded or unrounded quality then glide to a crisp final /ts/. Audio reference you can consult: Pronounce or Forvo entry for sprouts. - IPA: US /spraʊts/, UK /sprɒts/; mouth positions: lips neutral-to-rounded for the /aʊ/ or /ɒ/ then a sharp alveolar /t/ + voiceless /s/ at the end. Stress on the single syllable; keep the final /ts/ quick and unreleased in casual speech.
Common mistakes include mispronouncing the final cluster as /t/ or /tɪs/ instead of /ts/, and flattening the vowel so it’s not clearly diphthongized in US speech. Some learners also misplace the tongue for /r/ or add an unnecessary vowel before the /t/—e.g., saying /sprɔːts/ or /sprouts/ with a prolonged /ɔː/ in American English. Correction tips: ensure a crisp alveolar stop followed by voiceless /s/; practice the /aʊ/ or /ɒ/ vowel accurately with a short, slight glide leading into /ts/; practice the final cluster as a quick, single release.
In US English, /spraʊts/ with a clear /aʊ/ diphthong and a crisp /ts/. In many UK varieties, you’ll hear /sprɒts/ or /sprəʊts/ depending on region, with a shorter or flatter vowel and sometimes a non-rhotic /r/ absence. Australian English often sits between US and UK with /spɹaʊts/ or /spɒts/, maintaining the final /ts/ but vowels can be more centralized or slightly back. Overall, contrast rhoticity, vowel quality, and the length of the first syllable; the key is the final /ts/ cluster intact.
The difficulty lies in the final consonant cluster /ts/ after a stressed single syllable, which requires precise timing and air burst. The nucleus vowel in US /aʊ/ involves a glide from /a/ to /ʊ/, which can be challenging for speakers of languages without diphthongs. Additionally, non-native speakers sometimes insert an extra vowel or misplace the tongue for a fluent /t/ before /s/. Focus on a clean alveolar stop followed quickly by /s/, and practice the diphthong with a smooth transition.
A common unique aspect is that sprouts are edible young shoots, so in culinary contexts people often say “bean sprouts” or “alfalfa sprouts” with stress on the noun phrase; the pronunciation of sprouts remains /spraʊts/ (US) or /sprɒts/ (UK). When used metaphorically (growth), you might pace it slower in speech to emphasize the metaphor: “sprouts of progress.” Ensure you keep final /ts/ crisp even in rapid, connected speech.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "Sprouts"!
- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker pronouncing “sprouts” in sentences and repeat exactly in rhythm, focusing on the final /ts/. - Minimal pairs: sprouts vs sprouts? (No direct pair); use words with /aʊt/ vs /ɑːt/ to feel the diphthong; examples: about /əˈbaʊt/ and out /aʊt/. - Rhythm: practice 4-6 word phrases with sprouts: “bean sprouts for lunch,” “sprouts of progress,” emphasize single-syllable word; tempo from slow to normal to faster. - Stress: one-syllable word; keep primary stress on the word; avoid reducing it in connected speech. - Recording: use a phone or mic; compare with native samples to adjust final /ts/ strength. - Context practice: restaurant order (bean sprouts side), gardening talk (sprouts growing), culinary recipe instruction (wash sprouts). - Speed progression: initial 1-2 seconds per word, then 0.5 seconds, finally natural pace. - Use minimal pairs with similar shapes: sprout vs sproutS?; focus on final cluster clarity.
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