Equipment Vs Equiptment — Which Is Correct?

How do you spell equipment? Equipment is commonly misspelled with equiptment owing to their similarities in spelling and pronunciation. The error is made by individuals who believe that “t” in “Equipment” is silent.

The suffix ‘-ment’ is used to construct a noun from the verb “equip.” There is no extra consonant between these two elements, equip and ment. As a result, the correct term is equipment rather than equiptment.

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Photo by Jeff Hopper on Unsplash

How Do You Spell Equipment?

How do you spell equipment? When learning a new language, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the most prevalent sounds. The easiest method to do this is to study phonetics. The transcription for equipment is ‘ɪkwɪ́pmənt.’ It has three syllables: “i” + “KWIP” + “muhnt”.

We spell equipment as e-q-u-i-p-m-e-n-t. Breaking the word into two syllables will help you remember its spelling– equipment.

Tips for Improving the Pronunciation of Equipment

Reduce ‘equipment’ to its component sounds: [I] + [KWIP] + [MUHNT] – repeat it aloud and emphasize the sounds until you can produce them consistently. Here are other guidelines to help you pronounce equipment correctly:

  • Watch and listen to how you sound as you utter the word “equipment” aloud. You won’t have any trouble identifying your errors. 
  • To learn the correct pronunciation of the word “equipment,” check out some video tutorials on YouTube. 
  • Pick one accent (for example, American or British) and remain with it. If you’re learning a language, it’s best to stick with just one accent.

Why Is “equipment” Singular and Not Plural?

This is a frequent source of misunderstanding among speakers of the language.

The term “equipment” does not have a plural form since it is a “mass noun.” Mass nouns describe a plural item that lacks a common plural form.

In English, the convention for plurals is to add an “s” to the end of a single noun to make it plural. This is not the case for bulk nouns. Bulk nouns represent objects with a plural nature, such as “equipment,” which refers to a collection of items.

Occasionally, a mass noun will have a plural form. One notable exception is “Water,” which becomes “Waters” when pluralized.

The vast majority of mass nouns do not possess plural forms. Hence, it is still true to claim that mass nouns do not have plural forms.

Is “These Equipment” Appropriate?

No, “these equipment” is not correct. That statement should be phrased as “This equipment.” The term “equipment” is singular in the English language.

Because “Equipment” is a mass noun, you cannot use a plural pronoun like “these” when referring to it. If it were a regular noun, it would be acceptable.

Sentence Examples of Equipment

Right: All his bootlegging equipment was seen in the basement after the incident.

Wrong: Their dredging equipments was seized from the site early this morning.

Right: You have a lot of high-end gardening equipment and tools.

Wrong: The baseball equipments are all ruined after the bad weather the other day

Right: It is important to ensure that your equipment is functional.

Wrong: Our equipments are custom-made and responsive.

To Wrap Up

Equipment includes machinery, functional devices, and accessories that serve individual, household, or community needs. Equipment is a set of tools for a specific job.

Our pronunciation and spelling equipment tips will help you learn to spell and pronounce the word with ease.

Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.

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