Pronunciation Guide for English

If the word is a plural word ending in "-s," there are definite patterns that you can follow. (Note that the following explanation refers to sounds, not spellings.) If the singular ends in a unvoiced sound (no vibration in the larynx), the plural "-s" is pronounced /s/. (This is because /s/ is itself unvoiced and it is easy to go from an unvoiced sound directly to another unvoiced sound.) If the singular ends in a voiced sound (vibration in the larynx), the plural "-s" is pronounced /z/. (This is because it is difficult to go directly from a voiced sound to the unvoiced /s/, so the "-s" ending is pronounced as the voiced /z/.) If the singular ends in a vowel sound, the plural "-s" or "-es" is pronounced /z/. If the singular ends in a sibilant sound (/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/), the plural (written as "-es") and is pronounced /ɪz/. Here is a chart of the unvoiced, voiced, and sibilant sounds and their plural "-s" pronunciations: Unvoiced sounds (plural /s/) Voiced sounds (plural /z/) /p/ (caps /kaps/) /b/ (cabs /kabz/) /m/ (cams /kamz/) /t/ (pats /pats/) /d/ (pads /padz/) /n/ (pans /panz/) /k/ (backs /baks/) /ɡ/ (bags /baɡz/) /ŋ/ (bangs /baŋz/) /f/ (safes /seɪfs/) /v/ (saves /seɪvz/) /l/ (falls /fɔːlz/) (/r/ (cars /kärz/ in US Eng.) ____________Sibilant sounds -A sibilant sound is a hissing or hushing sound made by forcing air through the mouth while the tongue is near the roof of the mouth. The word "sibilant" comes from the Latin word sibilant-, which means "hissing". (plural /ɪz/): /s/ (buses /bʌsɪz/ /z/ (buzzes /bʌzɪz/) /ʃ/ (rushes /rʌʃɪz/ /ʒ/ (rouges /ruːʒɪz/) /tʃ/ (batches /batʃɪz/) /dʒ/ (badges /badʒɪz/) A special case of a sibilant letter is the letter "x" /ks/ (boxes /bɒksɪz/) _________________________ Here are some examples of plurals of singular words ending in a vowel sound or a diphthong (the "-s" or "-es" ending is always pronounced /z/): ways /weɪz/ frees /friːz/ tries /trʌɪz/ shows /ʃəʊ/ cues /kjuːz/ boys /bɔɪz/ jaws /dʒɔːz/ etc. ______mkyvdlc