Leaf Spelling Dictionary

Does the word end -ant or -ent?

schwaThe final syllable of pubescent takes no stress and its vowel is reduced to almost nothing.

heard aspubescant
spelledpubescent
saidpyoo-BESS-unt

-ent. pubescent.

English has both endings and uses them for different families of Latin verb: pleasant, defiant and radiant on one side, present, patient and pubescent on the other. Unstressed, they sound identical. The suffix here is -escent, which is never spelled any other way.

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