VIZ-it-urz
/ˈvɪzɪtɚz/
visitors is pronounced VIZ-it-urz (/ˈvɪzɪtɚz/). Visitors refers to people who visit a place, either temporarily or as guests, or to those who come to see someone. The term emphasizes the action of going to a location rather than staying there, and it can describe guests, callers, or guests passing through. In plural form, it often appears in contexts like tourism, hospitality, or events, indicating multiple people who are visiting.
Visitors refers to people who visit a place, either temporarily or as guests, or to those who come to see someone. The term emphasizes the action of going to a location rather than staying there, and it can describe guests, callers, or guests passing through. In plural form, it often appears in contexts like tourism, hospitality, or events, indicating multiple people who are visiting.
"We welcomed a group of visitors to the museum this afternoon."
"Hotel staff prepared extra towels for our visiting guests and other visitors."
"The city posted new guidelines for visitors during the festival."
Pronounce as VIZ-i-tərz in US and UK: /ˈvɪzɪtərz/ (US) and /ˈvɪzɪtəz/ (UK). The primary stress is on the first syllable, with the second syllable reduced to a quick /ɪ/ or schwa /ə/ and an ending /rz/ or /z/ cluster. Mouth positions: start with a short /v/ with upper teeth touching lower lip, then /ɪ/ as a short, lax vowel, follow with /z/ voiced, then /ɪ/ or /ə/ in the second syllable, finishing with /t/ or /tə/ before a final voiced or voiceless /z/ depending on dialect. You’ll hear a rapid, light second syllable. Audio reference: you can listen on Pronounce or Forvo to compare US/UK.
Two common errors: (1) Misplacing stress on the second syllable (e.g., vi-SI-tors). Keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈvɪ/. (2) Dropping the /t/ or turning the final -ors into -erz or -ors. Aim for a clear /t/ before the final /ərz/ or /əz/? In many accents the /t/ blends into a tap or a subtle /ɾ/; ensure you articulate a light /t/ before the final /ərz/.
US: /ˈvɪzɪtərz/ with rhotic /ɹ/ and a rhotacized final syllable; UK: /ˈvɪzɪtəz/ or /ˈvɪzɪtəz/ with more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable and a less pronounced final /ɹ/; AU: /ˈvɪzɪtəz/ similar to UK but may feature a more flattened vowel in the first syllable, and a slightly longer /ə/ in the second syllable. The /t/ is typically a light alveolar stop and may be flapped in rapid speech in US contexts.
Because it mixes a stressed initial syllable with a reduced second syllable and a final cluster /ərz/. The major challenges are: maintaining primary stress on /ˈvɪ/ while not elongating the second syllable, producing the /t/ clearly before the rhotacized /ər/ or /ə/ depending on accent, and linking the final /z/ or /s/ depending on voicing. Also, the sequence /ˈvɪzɪ/ can entice an epenthetic vowel if you hurry.
A unique aspect is the final consonant cluster in non-rhotic accents: in many UK pronunciations, the final /rz/ in 'visitors' often sounds like /rəz/ or /təz/ with a stronger schwa-like second syllable; in rhotic accents, you’ll hear a clear /ər/ plus voiced /z/. The difference between /t/ and a tap due to coarticulation with the following /ər/ can confuse learners; ensure a precise alveolar stop before the rhotacized vowel.
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The word visitors derives from the Latin visitare, meaning to go to see, which in turn comes from vidēre, meaning to see. The English form originated in the early medieval period through Old French visiter, with the -or suffix serving as a noun-forming agent in Latin-based words (similar to traveler, actor). The plural -s attaches to indicate multiple people who visit. Over time, the sense broadened from “one who visits” in religious or royal contexts to general use for any person who visits a place, institution, or person. By the 16th–18th centuries, visitors commonly referred to guests at inns, markets, and churches; in modern usage, it extends to tourism, event attendance, and temporary presence in a location. First known uses appear in Middle English texts discussing travelers and guests, gradually stabilizing into the contemporary plural noun in the 19th and 20th centuries as mass travel and hospitality industries expanded.
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Words that rhyme with "visitors"
-ers sounds
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