past / past participle
Explained why something happened or what happened to something.
The company accounted for all expenses.
The delay was accounted for by heavy traffic.
American English
How to pronounce accounted
verbB1Very common word
uhKOWnuhd
/əˈkʰaʊ.nəd̚/
3 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of account
Accounted is commonly followed by for in these meanings.
Explained why something happened or what happened to something.
What to listen for
The usual pronunciation is /əˈkʰaʊn.təd̚/. In natural speech, some speakers drop the /t/ in the middle and say /əˈkʰaʊ.nəd̚/.
Usual pronunciation/əˈkʰaʊn.təd̚/
Common form without /t//əˈkʰaʊ.nəd̚/
Meanings & examples
past / past participle
Made up a particular part or percentage of a total.
Online sales accounted for 40% of our business.
The share accounted for by online sales rose this year.
past / past participle
Included something in a calculation, total, or record.
The budget accounted for the new expenses.
All taxes were accounted for in the final price.
past participle in a fixed phrase
Confirmed that every person was present or safe, especially after an emergency.
All passengers were accounted for after the evacuation.
By midnight, every child was accounted for.
Good to know
In this sense, accounted for normally appears after be.
Useful expressions
to explain why something happened or what happened to something
How do you account for the missing money?
to consider something before making a decision
Please take her experience into account.
because of something
The game was canceled on account of heavy snow.