adolescence / adolescents are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇
adolescence: (noun) the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood. (noun) in the state that someone is in between puberty and adulthood.
adolescents: (noun) a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity.
adolescence: AE·d·ah·l·EH·s·ah·n·s
adolescents: AE·d·ah·l·EH·s·ah·n·t·s
(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)