HOW TO PRONOUNCE BUSINESS AND BUSYNESS
Business is two syllables, and busyness is three syllables:
business = BIZ – ness
busyness = BIZ – ee – ness
DEFINITION OF BUSINESS
Business is a noun, quite a common one, meaning commerce, the activity of buying and selling products and services.
During a really hot day, if lots of customers come into an ice cream store, the owner could say “Business has been good today” because the shop has sold a lot.
Finally, a business is another word for a company – someone can start their own business, or work as a manager in a construction business, and so on.
DEFINITION OF BUSYNESS
The word busyness – three syllables –means the state of being busy, having a lot of things to do, lots of responsibilities and tasks and scheduled activities.
Busyness is not nearly as common of a word as business, but you’ll sometimes see it. You could say, “I took a vacation so I could have a break from the busyness of everyday life” – again, it’s the state of being busy.
Or a college student who has a very intense few weeks at the end of the semester, might not have much time to hang out with her friends during the busyness of final exams – she has a lot of things to do, big assignments and studying for all those exams.
One final example, think of a company that sells holiday decorations like Christmas lights – most of their sales are going to be made in December. So maybe in November, they start preparing for the busyness of the holiday season.
You could say that business (that company) is preparing for a season of busyness (having a lot of things to do).
Now you know how to pronounce and how to use business and busyness. Remember, I can help you speak English more confidently at work when you join my Business English Course. It’ll teach you what to say in lots of professional situations like interviews, meetings, phone calls, and much more.