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attendance   —   attendants

[slightly different pronunciation]

“Attendance” is ‘the act of being present regularly; the number of people/pupil present’,

e.g.

Attendance at school is poor during festival season.

There was a large attendance at the seminary.

“Attendants” are ‘people on duty somewhere, for example, in a museum, at a car park (valet), in a laboratory, etc. and/or the junior officials who accompany seniors’,

car park/parking lot attendants on duty

e.g.

The Queen arrived with her ministers and several attendants.

The attendant at the car park is an angel; he even wipes the windscreen of my car.

Remember that the word “attendants” is not used for the people who go to see or present at a play, cinema, religious service, etc.  This is where this word is mostly misused.  There are other words to use in such cases, for instance, at a religious service:  ‘congregation’ ; at a cinema: ‘audience’, etc.

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