tenths
/tɛnθs/
tenths is pronounced tenths (/tɛnθs/). Tenths refers to the decimal division of a whole into ten equal parts, typically representing 0.1 in numerical terms. In everyday math language it denotes one part out of ten or an approximate tenth part when discussing measurements or probabilities. The word can be used in contexts ranging from fundamental school arithmetic to technical expressions involving precision.
Tenths refers to the decimal division of a whole into ten equal parts, typically representing 0.1 in numerical terms. In everyday math language it denotes one part out of ten or an approximate tenth part when discussing measurements or probabilities. The word can be used in contexts ranging from fundamental school arithmetic to technical expressions involving precision.
"She measured the solution to the tenths of a gram to ensure accuracy."
"The lottery odds are one in ten million, or tenths of a percent when scaled differently."
"In the report, she noted the tenths place after the decimal to indicate slight variation."
Pronounce as /ˈtɛnθs/. The first syllable is stressed: TEN-ths, with a short degraded “e” as in ‘ten.’ The second consonant cluster is /θs/—the soft, dental fricative /θ/ followed immediately by an /s/. Keep the tongue tip gently against the upper teeth for the /θ/ and release into the /s/ without extra voicing. Tip: ensure a clean before-the-sound release and avoid a hard /t/ immediately preceding the /s/. Audio reference can be compared with standard dictionaries or pronunciation platforms.
Common errors include pronouncing /t/ instead of a clear /θ/ for the second consonant cluster and adding an extra vowel between /n/ and /θ/ (e.g., ten-eths). Another frequent tendency is de-voicing the /θ/ into a /t/ or inserting an /ɪ/ before the /θ/. To correct, practice the /θ/ by placing the tongue tips lightly on the upper teeth, make sure you don’t voice the /θ/ (keep it voiceless), then smoothly transition to /s/ without a vowel in between.
In US English, you’ll hear /ˈtɛnθs/, with a clear dental /θ/ and short vowel. UK English maintains the same approximate /ˈtɛnθs/ but may have slightly drier /t/ release and crisper /s/. Australian English also uses /ˈtɛnθs/ but with a more dental-tap-like tongue contact in some speakers and a slightly more open vowel. Overall, rhoticity is not a factor for tenths; the key differences lie in vowel quality and the crispness of the /θ/ and /s/ transitions.
The difficulty centers on the dental fricative /θ/ in a word that also ends with /s/. Many learners struggle to produce a voiceless /θ/ without adding a vowel or voicing it into /þ/ or /t/. There’s also a fast, adjacent /s/ that can bleed the /θ/ into a voiceless or voiced assimilation if not careful. Mastery requires tip placement on the teeth, a light breathy expulsion for /θ/, and an abrupt switch to the /s/ without voice.
Is the /θ/ in tenths ever realized as a /t/ or /f/? In fluent speech, you might hear a more assimilated /f/ or /t/-like release in rapid speech, but careful pronunciation uses the standard /θ/ followed by /s/. The hint is to practice the clean /θ/ with minimal vowel insertion before the /s/ and to avoid linking or palatalization that could blur the dental fricative. Practicing words like breathe-ths or teeth-s can help solidify the sequence.
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Tenths derives from the combination of the numeral ten + the suffix -th, which forms ordinal and fractional terms in English. The word traces back to Old English tentih (from *ten* plus the ordinal suffix *-þa* or *-th* via Proto-Germanic *-thuz*). Early uses referred to fractions of a unit—e.g., tenteca or tentih as a way to describe one part in ten. Over time the spelling stabilized to tenths in Middle English, aligned with other fractional ordinals like fifths and hundredths. The semantic core evolved from a numeric fraction describing a portion to a formal term in mathematics and measurement, where tenths denote the first decimal place or first fractional digit in base-10. First recorded attestations appear in mathematical and scientific texts from the 15th century onward, paralleling the standardization of decimal notation and measurement systems that emerged across Europe, culminating in modern usage in education, science, and engineering. The word’s stability reflects its utility: a precise, widely understood unit of fraction that remains crucial in calculations, data interpretation, and technical specification.
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Words that rhyme with "tenths"
-nts sounds
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