TEN-uh-muhnts
/ˈtɛnəmənts/
tenements is pronounced TEN-uh-muhnts (/ˈtɛnəmənts/). Tenements are buildings, typically in urban areas, that house multiple dwellings, often with modest or crowded conditions. Historically tied to housing clusters and immigrant neighborhoods, the term has layered social and economic connotations. In general use, it refers to any multi-unit residence, especially older, densely occupied structures in cities.
Tenements are buildings, typically in urban areas, that house multiple dwellings, often with modest or crowded conditions. Historically tied to housing clusters and immigrant neighborhoods, the term has layered social and economic connotations. In general use, it refers to any multi-unit residence, especially older, densely occupied structures in cities.
"The family moved into a run-down tenement on the Lower East Side."
"City authorities condemned several tenements after the fire safety inspection."
"Historically, many tenements housed working-class families in the 19th century."
US/UK/AU pronunciation centers on the first syllable stress: /ˈtɛn.ə.mənts/. In full, it’s two unstressed schwa syllables after the stressed first, with a light, almost schwa-like middle and a final /nts/ cluster. Mouth position: start with a clear /t/ with a light release, then an open-front vowel for /ˈtɛn/, follow with a quick, relaxed /ə/ before /mənts/ where /m/ and /n/ are nasal stops and the final /ts/ is a crisp alveolar affricate. Listen for the stress on TEN and keep the middle vowels short.
Common errors include flattening the middle syllable into a full vowel like /iː/ or /ɪ/ (TEN-e-ments instead of TEN-ə-ments) and mispronouncing the final /nts/ as /nz/ or /ntɪz/. To correct: keep the middle syllable as a lax schwa /ə/ and release the final /nts/ as a clean alveolar /t/ followed by /s/ with no extra vowel. Practice the transition: /ˈtɛn.ə.mənts/ with a light, quick /ə/ and crisp /nts/.
US: /ˈtɛn.ə.mənts/ with rhotic vowel quality? US speakers retain /r/ only in rhotic accents; here there’s no /r/. UK/AU: also /ˈten.əmənts/ with a slightly shorter /ɪ/ or /ə/ in the middle depending on speaker. Australian tends toward a more centralized /ə/ and a clipped final /nts/. Across accents, vowel quality in the first syllable can be slightly tenser in US, more centralized in UK/AU. Overall, syllable count and stress stay the same.
Because it combines a stressed initial syllable with two unstressed schwa-heavy syllables and a final consonant cluster /nts/. The mid syllable /ə/ can be reduced or elided in rapid speech, and the final /nts/ requires precise tongue contact to avoid an extra vowel. Learners often mispronounce as TEN-men-ts or TEN-ih-ments; aim for /ˈtɛn.ə.mənts/ with short, quick schwa and clean /nts/.
Yes: the central or mid syllable typically uses a weak /ə/ (schwa) rather than a pressed vowel, producing the sequence TEN-ə-mənts. This reduces vowel length and facilitates the fast transition into the final /nts/ cluster. The word’s two unstressed syllables tend to blur in rapid speech, so careful articulation helps clarity.
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The word tenement comes from the French tenir, meaning to hold, but its legal and architectural sense develops in English from late Middle English to Early Modern English. It entered English through law and urban discourse in the 14th–16th centuries, initially denoting property held or tenants’ rights in feudal and later urban contexts. By the 17th and 18th centuries, tenement particularly described a building held by lease for dwelling purposes, often with several tenants. The industrial age intensified urban housing demands, and “tenement” came to imply multi-occupancy, crowded conditions, and aging, substandard housing in cities worldwide. In modern usage, it retains historical nuances about urban housing, often carrying social and economic associations with lower-income housing, while in some regions it can be neutral, describing any multi-unit residence. First known use in English appears in legal or property records from the 1400s–1500s, with broader popular usage emerging in the 18th–19th centuries as cities expanded and housing became a public concern.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "tenements" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "tenements"
-nts sounds
-ent sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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