SOO-turz
/ˈsutɚz/
suitors is pronounced SOO-turz (/ˈsutɚz/). Suitors are people who pursue someone romantically, typically in hopes of marriage or a serious relationship. The term emphasizes the act of seeking favor or affection, often in a social or formal context. In everyday usage, it can refer to any person showing romantic interest, not limited to a particular era or culture.
Suitors are people who pursue someone romantically, typically in hopes of marriage or a serious relationship. The term emphasizes the act of seeking favor or affection, often in a social or formal context. In everyday usage, it can refer to any person showing romantic interest, not limited to a particular era or culture.
"The eligible heiress attracted several suitors, each hoping to win her hand."
"In the Victorian novel, the rich bachelor was surrounded by ardent suitors."
"She politely declined the persistent suitor who followed her after the concert."
Pronounce it as /ˈsuːtərz/ (US) or /ˈsjuːtəz/ (UK/AU). Start with the long 'oo' sound in 'food' for the first syllable, then a schwa or reduced 'er' in the second, and end with a voiced z. Emphasize the first syllable: SUIT-ers. Tip: avoid conflating with 'suits' by keeping the /ər/ to /ərz/ in plural form.
Common errors: treating 'suit' and 'or' separately or misplacing the stress, producing /ˈsuːtɪrz/ with a short 'i' instead of a full long vowel, and dropping the final z in plural (/z/ vs /s/). Correction: maintain the long /uː/ in the first syllable, use a clear secondary syllable /ər/ for the second, and voice the final /z/ for natural plural pronunciation: /ˈsuːtərz/.
In US English, you have /ˈsuːtərz/ with rhotic /r/. In many UK accents, it becomes /ˈsjuːtəz/ where the initial vowel can glide closer to /j/ and the final is a reduced /əz/. Australian often blends toward /ˈsjuːtəz/ as well, with a more centralized final vowel and a non-rhotic tendency, though some speakers show slight rhoticity in careful speech. The crucial differences are vowel quality and rhoticity.
Two main challenges: a long /uː/ in the first syllable that can drift into /juː/ for some speakers, and the final voiced /z/ that must be clearly voiced after an unstressed /ər/ nucleus. Also, many learners confuse 'su' with 'su' in 'suit' and 'suits' vs 'suitors'; keep the distinction by emphasizing the plural /-ərz/ with a light, clear /z/ rather than /s/ after a trailing schwa.
Does the pronunciation of 'suitors' ever reduce the second syllable to a schwa so that it sounds like /ˈsuːtərz/ in rapid speech, and how does this affect intelligibility? In careful speech, the /ər/ remains distinct; in casual speech some speakers reduce the /ər/ to a light /ə/ or even a syllabic /r/ in rhotic accents, but the final /z/ should remain audible to avoid confusion with 'suits'.
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The word suitor comes from Middle English sugetour, derived from the verb suiten (to suit, apply oneself) and ultimately from Old French sutinutier, linked to the idea of suing or pursuing in a legal sense and courting in a social sense. The evolution reflects a shift from formal legal-action connotations to the social pursuit of marriage or romantic alliance in later medieval and early modern English. By the 16th and 17th centuries, suitor appeared in literature and courtship narratives to designate a man who courts a woman, often within aristocratic or arranged-match contexts. Over time, the term retained its core meaning of pursuit for relational gain, while becoming more generalized to refer to any person actively courting another, regardless of social status. The concept also appears in proverbial expressions and etiquette guides of the 18th and 19th centuries, illustrating the social performance of suit-and-courtship rituals. In contemporary English, suitor remains a formal or mildly literary word, frequently found in novels, biographies, and discussions of traditional romance, though it is occasionally used humorously or ironically to describe overly earnest or persistent admirers.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "suitors" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "suitors" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "suitors"
-ers sounds
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