Tuition (noun) refers to the money paid for instruction, especially in schools or colleges. It can also mean the act or instance of teaching or the cost charged for instruction. In everyday use, it typically denotes the financial charge rather than the act of teaching itself, though historical phrases treat tuition as instruction. The term is common in discussions of education costs and services.
"The university increased tuition for the upcoming academic year."
"She saved up to cover tuition fees before starting college."
"Some students receive scholarships to offset tuition costs."
"Parents debated whether the new program was worth the tuition price."
Tuition comes from the Middle English tutioun, from Old French tutor, which pertains to teaching or instruction, ultimately linked to Latin tutor, meaning “a guardian or overseer.” The root notion centers on instruction and guidance. In its entry into English, tuition referred broadly to teaching or training and gradually narrowed to the financial charge for instruction. The word’s earliest uses surface in medieval scholastic contexts where masters and tutors provided formal education for a fee. By the 16th–17th centuries, tuition commonly denoted the cost of instruction, particularly in schools and universities, aligning with modern usage. Over time, the sense of tuition as “the cost of schooling” remained dominant in educational policy and everyday discourse, while “the act of teaching” persists in phrases like “in tuition of” in historical contexts. The semantic shift reflects broader social structures around formal education financing and the professionalization of teachers, with the term crystallizing in bureaucratic and institutional language as education expanded globally.
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Words that rhyme with "Tuition"
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Tuition is pronounced tu-ISH-un, with the primary stress on the second syllable: /tuˈɪʃən/ in US/UK. Start with /t/ + /u/ (like “too”), glide into /ˈɪ/ (short i as in “sit”) for the second syllable, then /ʃ/ (sh) and end with /ən/ (unstressed "un"). The first syllable is lightly unstressed compared to the strong second syllable. Audio references: you can listen on Forvo or YouGlish for native renders of /tuˈɪʃən/.
Three common errors: (1) Pronouncing it as /ˈtuːɪʃən/ with a long /uː/ in the first syllable; use /tuˈɪ/ with a short, clipped /ɪ/ in the second syllable. (2) Misplacing the stress, saying /ˈtuːɪʃən/ or /tuˈɪʃən/—the primary stress must be on the second syllable. (3) Slurring the /t/ to a light /d/ or losing the /ʃ/ sound, yielding /tuˈɪnən/; ensure you articulate /ʃ/ clearly before the final /ən/. Practice minimal pairs and place-timing to fix these.
US/UK/AU share /tuˈɪʃən/ broadly, but differences include initial rhoticity and vowel quality. US typically pronounces /tuˈɪʃən/ with a quick, lax /ə/ in the final syllable and a clear /ɪ/ in the second syllable; UK often has a slightly shorter /ɪ/ and crisper /t/ followed by a more forward /u/ before the /ˈɪ/; Australian tends to have a closer fronted /ɪ/ and a less tense /t/ release. In all, primary stress remains on the second syllable; the main variations are vowel height and consonant clarity.
The challenge lies in the vowel transition from /u/ to /ˈɪ/ and the /t/ to /ʃ/ sequence. Many learners misplace primary stress or turn /ɪ/ into a schwa, producing /tuˈəʃən/ or /tuˈɪʃn/. The cluster /t/ immediately before /j/ is not present here, but the /t/ + /u/ glide can be tricky, along with preserving a distinct /ʃ/ before the final /ən/. Mastering the exact placement of the second-syllable stress and maintaining a clean /ʃ/ are key.
Tuition has no silent letters; its syllable structure is /tuˈɪʃən/. The first syllable is light, the second carries primary stress, and the final syllable ends with a schwa-ish /ən/. The challenge is not about silence but precise vowel quality and a crisp /ʃ/ before the final unstressed vowel. Focus on the strong second syllable and avoid vowel reduction in the second syllable that turns /ɪ/ into a weaker sound.
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