Meaning & use
chartered accountant
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Meaning
nouncountable
A fully qualified accountant who is a member of a professional accounting organization.
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a chartered accountant' or 'chartered accountants'. Often used as a title after a name, e.g. 'Jane Smith, chartered accountant'.
Patterns
- a chartered accountant
- work as a chartered accountant
- qualified as a chartered accountant
She became a chartered accountant after passing all her exams.
The firm hired a chartered accountant to audit their financial records.
As a chartered accountant, he is required to follow a strict code of ethics.
Word forms
| plural | chartered accountants |
|---|
Common combinations
- a qualified chartered accountant
- They are looking for a qualified chartered accountant to join the team.
- a chartered accountant firm
- The chartered accountant firm handles taxes for small businesses.
- become a chartered accountant
- It takes several years of study and practical experience to become a chartered accountant.
- a chartered accountant by profession
- She is a chartered accountant by profession but now works in education.
Synonyms and how they differ
- accountant
- A general term for anyone who keeps or inspects financial records; a chartered accountant has a specific professional qualification.
- CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
- The American equivalent; a CPA is licensed by a state board, while a chartered accountant is certified by a professional body in countries like the UK.
Word family
- chartered adjective
- Having a formal qualification from a professional organization, as in 'chartered engineer'.
- accountancy noun
- The profession or work of an accountant.
Commonly confused: chartered accountant or certified accountant?
chartered accountant vs certified accountant
In the US, 'certified public accountant' (CPA) is the standard term; 'chartered accountant' is used in the UK and other countries.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'chartered accountant' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A chartered accountant is a qualified accounting professional, so 'works for a large bank' fits. Option B confuses 'chartered' with hiring; C treats it as a vehicle; D treats it as a cleaner, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chartered accountant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.