YUHNG-sturz
/ˈjʌŋstɚz/
youngsters is pronounced YUHNG-sturz (/ˈjʌŋstɚz/). Youngsters refers to people who are relatively young, typically children or adolescents, within a broader age group. The term emphasizes youthfulness rather than seniority and is commonly used in informal or everyday contexts. It can encompass boys and girls collectively and is often paired with verbs or adjectives describing age-related behavior or stages.
Youngsters refers to people who are relatively young, typically children or adolescents, within a broader age group. The term emphasizes youthfulness rather than seniority and is commonly used in informal or everyday contexts. It can encompass boys and girls collectively and is often paired with verbs or adjectives describing age-related behavior or stages.
- You’ll often hear learners insert an extra vowel after /ŋ/ or before /st/ (e.g., /ˈjʌŋ.ɪstəz/). Correct by stopping the first syllable at /ˈjʌŋ/ and immediately moving to /stəz/. - Another frequent error is misplacing the stress to the second syllable; maintain primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/. - Some learners over-pronounce the final /ɪz/ or /əz/ making it /ˈjʌŋ.stərz/; practice minimal pair with /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/ and keep the final sonority light. - Some environments lead to a weak or elided /ŋ/; drill the /ŋ/ clearly before /st/ using finger-tlicker timing or metronome guidance.
"The summer camp invited youngsters from nearby towns."
"Parents were worried about how the youngsters handled the new school rules."
"The park was crowded with energetic youngsters playing soccer."
You say it as /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/ in US and UK dictionaries, with primary stress on the first syllable. Start with the /j/ sound as in yes, mount to /ʌ/ as in cup, then /ŋ/ as in sing. The second syllable is /stəz/ where /st/ is a consonant cluster, and the final /əz/ is a reduced schwa plus z. In Australian speech you’ll hear /ˈjɔːŋ.stəz/ with a longer /ɔː/ vowel in the first syllable. Aim for a crisp /ŋ/ before /st/, not a separate nasal onset for the second syllable.
Common errors include misplacing stress (putting emphasis on the second syllable), saying /ˈjuːŋˌstərz/ with a drawn-out /juː/ rather than /ˈjʌŋ/; dropping the /ŋ/ or merging /ŋst/ into /nst/; or pronouncing /ə/ as a full vowel in the last syllable. Correct by: (1) ensuring primary stress on /ˈjʌŋ/; (2) keeping the /ŋ/ before /st/ clearly, and (3) using a light, schwa-like /ə/ in the second syllable: /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/.
In US English you’ll hear /ˈjʌŋ.stɚz/ with rhotic r and a reduced final /əz/ as /ərz/ in some dialects; UK English tends to /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/ with non-rhoticity, less pronounced rhotic vowel; Australian often features a broader /ɔː/ in the first syllable and a slightly flatter /ə/ in the second: /ˈjɔːŋ.stəz/. Differences mainly center on rhoticity and vowel quality in the first syllable and the final schwa versus r-controlled vowel.
Two main challenges: (1) the consonant cluster /ŋst/ requires precise timing to avoid a lisp or breaking the cluster; (2) the alternating vowel length in the first syllable, where /ʌ/ in US is mid-central and can drift toward /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ in some accents. Practicing the cluster /ŋst/ in isolation and then within the word helps. Also, the /əz/ ending can reduce to /əz/; ensure you don’t insert a full vowel before /z/. IPA cues: /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/.
The word hinges on a crisp first syllable with a strong /ŋ/ before /st/ and a light, quick second syllable /əz/ or /əz/. The challenge is avoiding an overly prolonged first vowel or inserting an extra syllable between /ŋ/ and /st/. Focus on a clean hop from /ŋ/ into /st/ and then a quick, soft /əz/.
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- US: rhoticity influences final vowel; you may hear /ˈjʌŋ.stərz/ in casual speech; keep /ər/ under control by reducing to /əz/ in faster speech. - UK: non-rhotic, so final syllable often /stə/ or /stəz/ with a softer ending; maintain non-rhoticity in careful speech: /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/. - AU: broader vowel in first syllable, /ɔː/; keep the /ŋ/ firm before /st/ and end with a clear schwa-like /əz/. IPA: US /ˈjʌŋ.stɚz/, UK /ˈjʌŋ.stəz/, AU /ˈjɔːŋ.stəz/.
Youngsters derives from the noun young, meaning not old, with the suffix -ster used in English to form agent nouns or groups (as in youngster meaning a person belonging to a particular group in youth). The combination likely originated in early modern English as a colloquial term for children or youths, reinforced by compound formations in British and American usage. The -ster suffix has Germanic roots and conveys a sense of belonging or role, observed in words like trickster or jokester. Internally, youngster emerged as a common informal label for a child or adolescent, gaining traction in 19th and 20th-century dialogues, then expanding into broader, more inclusive usage for “young people” in casual speech. The word’s usage has remained stable in modern English, often implying a lighthearted or affectionate tone rather than clinical categorization. First known uses appear in print in the 19th century, with increasing prevalence in 20th-century colloquial speech and popular media, where it often connotes energy, vitality, and a shared cultural moment among youths.
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Words that rhyme with "youngsters"
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