English spellings/Catalogs/Retro S
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| Retroalphabetical list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common misspellings |
This page lists pronunciations of English words that end in S. The list is in retroalphabetical order, that is, alphabetically beginning with the final letter of the word (in this case S) and continuing backwards through it.
The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z. Click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title for a pronunciation key.[e]
*áz ás
*Lûcus Lûcas
-ráz whereás
*gáss gás
*ház hás
*Cánzus Kánsas
-såw Årkansås
*wóz ẁas
AmE *ërbs hërbs
-x -cs
theátrics
acrobátics
informátics
AmE esthétics, BrE aesthétics
athlétics
gymnástics
logístics
Nétherlands
-dz fŏrwards
piêces
*Pîsêez Pîscês
-z Dés
recêdes
Mercèdês
Thucýdidês
-êez Ándês
-êez antípodês
-dz côdes
Rêece, etc. = Rêes
grab sêize = see sêes
-jíz édges
-jíz lódges
-jíz Hódges
*nêeshíz nìches
-chíz ríches
-chíz ínches
-chíz chürches
-z hew heŵs = person Hûghes
since around the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a tendency for younger BrE speakers to sound this ending as -êez instead of -íz: -íes
plural of lúllaby: -îz lúllabîes
-íz, -êez râbíes
Ãries
documéntaries
*síəríz, *síərêez sêríes
-íz, -êez AmE wörríes, BrE wòrríes
*Léz; short form of Léslie: Lés
enâbles
Vénables
míracles
îcicles
-êez Périclês
tésticles
-êez Sóphoclês
Lós = lóss lose; or -íz Lós Ángelês
Gîles
distance mîles = person Mîles
smîles
minimal pair: cf. shékels: sháckles
*Vérsŷe Versaîlles
*Marsây Marsèilles
*Əkílêez Achíllês
*Fílêez Phíllês
-lz Chàrles
minimal pair: êasels rhymes with mêasles
-lz mólecûles
-z Hërculês
*Témz Thames
Jâmes
Aristóphanês
*Wídníss Wídnes
-nz Bàrnes
*Tótníss or *Totnéss Tótnes
Jóhn Mâynard Kèynes
Mílton Kêynes
see English irregular nouns: -ôes
*dúzz dòes
*gôze gôes
rôse rhymes with hêroes
*tôze tôes
-tôze potâtoes
-pêez hërpes
plural of -sís in Greek-derived words (see English irregular nouns) -sês
cf. singular -síss parénthesís: plural -sêez parénthesês
cf. prîces *prîsíz: *crîsêez crîsês
*loôziz loses
-síz glāsses
-sêez Ûlyssês
-síz búses
verb -zíz abûses
noun -síz abûses
plúses
mînuses
-zíz hòuses
-zíz ròuses
-zíz blòuses
-ssíz spòuses
-zíz espòuses
homographs: -zíz analyse ánalŷses, -sêez analysis análysês
Sócratês
prompts cûes = lines queûes
âgûes
-gz lêagues
-sks mósques
hêaves
leave, leaf lêaves
have-nots háves
shâves
wâves
thief thìêves
Îves
gíves
-k- àrchîves
plural noun lîves
singular verb líves
knife knîves
arrîves
môtíves
wife wîves
calf càlves
half hālves
valve válves
elf élves
delve délves
shelf shélves
self sélves
one word, as with following: *òursélvz oursélves
*yŏrsélvz yoursélves
*dhəmsélvz themsélves
*wùlvz wolves
cf. dòves: drôves
hoof hoôves
scarf scàrves
Z- Xërxês
*yéss yés
cf. noun analysis análysês: verb analyse or analyze ánalyzes
hoôves rhymes with roôfs
Hâstings
hústings
-gz dógs
parîahs
big sîze = sigh sîghs
-āffs lāughs
-óffs cóughs
-dhz: unvoiced -th becomes voiced -ths
brêathes rhymes with wrêaths
-òudhz mòuths
-ûdhz yoûths
-ûdhz trûths
-íss unless noted -ís
*íz ís
*híz hís
plurals, no apostrophes, -íz: -ís
-íz Bangladéshis
-íz Bengålis
-íz Nepålis
-íz Isrâelis
-iz semifinals sémis
Dénnís = Dénís
-əss pênis
ténnís
-íz Sùnnis
-nŏy Íllinois
-kwà Iroquois
Ãris
Hárris rhymes with Párís
hûbris
cf. críss-cróss: Krís = Christopher Chrís
(ǒ in AmE) Hórace and Mórris (= BrE Maurice) all rhyme with Bóris, Dóris and lóris
Párís rhymes with Hárris
térrace rhymes with Férris
rhyming with Hórace, BrE Maurice = Mórris
Nórris
thêsis
cf. paréntheses: whether between parentheses (AmE; BrE brackets), square brackets (BrE; AmE brackets), commas or dashes, the words themselves constitute a parénthesis
Greek-derived words in -sís, *síss, have -sês, *sêez, to mark their plurals (see English irregular nouns): sýnthesis
némesis
Îsis
crîsis
thrombôsis
cirrhôsis
fibrôsis
-k- bronchîtis
colîtis
enterîtis
nephrîtis
cystîtis
Dâvis
Mâvis
Trávis
Élvis
pélvis
áxis
prophyláxis
léxis
*nóx Knóx = knócks
loòks
spoôks
àsks
désks
rísks
túsks
-z sélls
-z húms
-nz -ns
sáns
Évans
Díckens
chíckens
léns
Hópkins
Dåwkins
Håwkins
words from Greek rhyming with bóss: -ós
*kâyós châos
insect lòuse = nation Làos
rhyming with dôze: tornâdos
-pô à propos
rhinóceros
Monóceros
-pss hélps
oòps
whoòps
loôps
stoôps
schnápps
arrêars
úp and dòwn stãirs
dòwnstãirs
úpstãirs
heart cŏre = army cŏrps
-z stàrs
-z, no apostrophe: hërs
-z; lîars, trîers and buŷers rhyme with plîers
-z; bôres, BrE påuse, and påws rhyme with dŏors
gás rhymes with láss
máss
pāss
cráss
grāss
mostly -íss -ess
*áxéss áccéss
góddéss
conféss
proféss
chéss
héadless
hêedless
cãreless
ûseless
hápless
hélpless
t can be silent in lístless
t can be silent in réstless
méss
suffix forming nouns, e as í or schwa: -ness
Lóch Néss
goòdness
*Dúnjənéss Dungenéss
cf. clêan: cléanliness
clúmsiness
nāstiness
lîonéss
Sheernéss
gòverness
Invernéss
shŷness
dréss
préss
tréss
áctress
wâitress
stréss
distréss
headmístress
máttress
duréss
cf. áccess *áxéss: asséss
silent u: guéss
pròwess
kíss
míss
bóss
lóss
flóss
cróss
dróss
grôss
cúss
abýss
-tss cáts
Kêats
Yâtes = Yeâts
it is ít's = of it íts
e.g. clairvŏyants = clairvŏyance: -nce = -nts
land déserts
leaves (verb), rewards (noun) desërts = sweets dessërts
*úss, but usually weak: *əss ús
mostly -əss -us
-ss bús
súccubus
ábacus
fôcus
Damáscus
díscus
Índus
oôze rhymes with Híndûs
Zeûs
-kəss Bácchus
-tious, -tius, -cious, sound like -shus
Horâtius
Sibèlius
Dêlius
Jûlius
both j-: cf. adjective ingênious: noun gênius
Sírius
ignorâmus
hippopótamus
Hierónymus
ânus
j- gênus
-yoôz ménûs
Vênus
Lînus
mînus
sînus
ônus
for adjectives = -us mostly for nouns: -əss –ous
cåucus rhymes with råucous
-dəss: only in the following five words -dous
treméndous
stûpendous
horréndous
jép- jéopardous
házardous
-jəss outrâgeous
-jəss gŏrgeous
simultâneous
gênius rhymes with heterogêneous and homogêneous
-shəss -cious
pugnâcious
loquâcious
spêcious
précious
auspícious
suspícious
vícious
uncónscious
relígious rhymes with sacrilegious
cf. noun gênius: adjective ingênious
pîous
ímpious
censŏrious
kyù- cùrious
fyù- fùrious
spyù- spùrious
-shus -tious
ambítious
propítious
factítious
fictítious
óbvious
oblívious
prêvious
*ánkshus ánxious
jéalous
zéalous
màrvellous
ridículous
fâmous
ínfə- ínfamous
ánimus cf. ûnánimous
anónymous
epónymous
erógenous
cf. vërtigo, hard g: g as j in vertíginous
glûtinous
glúttonous
scábrous
wòndrous
slānderous
pónderous
thúnderous
mürderous
nûmerous
prepósterous
rígorous
vígorous
glámorous
bone hûmerus = funny hûmorous
pǒrous
vâporous
díz- disàstrous
mónstrous
can also be -terous: déxtrous and ámbidextrous
AmE súlfurous, BrE súlphurous
see -orous: no words end in -ourous
vácûous
disingénuous
fátûous
súmptûous
vïrtûous
nërvous
pùss cf. pús
Cánopus
óctopus
*Bélla-Roôse Belarûs
funny hûmorous (British as well as American) = bone hûmerus
vîrus
cf. prósperous: phósphorus
Bósphorus or Bósporus
rhêsus
cénsus
consénsus
sánctus
ríctus
néxus
-z jåws
irregular: *séz says
regular: *stâze stâys
-âze sîdeways
Gládýs
Sánds = Sandys
Cárýs
only in some unusual cases (such as the pop group "the La's") is apostrophe-s used to form plurals: final apostrophe-s is normally either a singular possessive or an abbreviation of ís; many company names have dropped the apostrophe, leaving just a plural-looking -s: -'s
w-, plural ònes = possessive òne's
or *híz hê's
or *shíz shê's
chíldren's
*hoôz of whom whose = who is who's
possessive of final-s singular monosyllables: -s's
St. Jâmes's
Kêats's
Yâtes's = Yeâts's
of it íts = it is ít's
-íes = -ý's
Bàrclaý's