2 syllables: ank, les. Stress on ank.
ANG-kuhlz
/ˈæŋkəlz/
ankles is pronounced ANG-kuhlz (/ˈæŋkəlz/). It has two syllables (ank-les), with the stress on "ank". Ankles refers to the joints connecting the feet to the lower legs, including the surrounding bones, ligaments, and tendons. In everyday use, the term often appears in phrases about movement, injury, or footwear. The word is a plural noun that designates both ankles collectively and, less commonly, individual ankles in context.
Ankles refers to the joints connecting the feet to the lower legs, including the surrounding bones, ligaments, and tendons. In everyday use, the term often appears in phrases about movement, injury, or footwear. The word is a plural noun that designates both ankles collectively and, less commonly, individual ankles in context.
- You might insert an extra vowel between the /ŋ/ and /k/ (saying /æŋ-gəlz/). Keep it tightly bound with a quick, almost inaudible transition. - Another frequent slip is pronouncing the second syllable as /ˈkel/ or /ˈkəl/ with a stronger 'e' sound; aim for a light, unstressed schwa in the second syllable. - Some speakers voice the /z/ too softly or skip it in casual speech; ensure voicing is clear and the final /z/ is audible, not devoiced to /s/.
"She rolled her ankles while hiking on uneven ground."
"The ankle bones support most of the body’s weight during walking."
"He tightened his shoelaces to prevent rubbing on the ankles."
Sound it out as /ˈæŋ.kəlz/. The primary stress is on the first syllable; the first vowel is a short æ as in cat, followed by ng as in sing, a light kuh for the second syllable, and a voiced z at the end in most dialects. In connected speech, you’ll often hear the final s blend with the preceding schwa, but the canonical form is /ˈæŋ.kəlz/ (US/UK/AU all align closely).
Common errors include making the first syllable sound like 'anker' by using a broad, dull æ or adding an extra syllable (an-kee-lz). Some speakers mispronounce the second syllable as a hard ‘k’ instead of a soft /kəl/ with a schwa. Another frequent slip is tensing the tongue or shortening the final /z/ to an /s/. To fix: emphasize /æŋ/ with a relaxed jaw, reduce the second syllable to /kəl/ with a light, quick schwa, and voice the final /z/ clearly.
Across US/UK/AU, the nucleus /æ/ remains similar, but rhoticity matters: US and AU are rhotic, so trailing r-like cues aren’t typical here; however, you may hear subtle length differences in British accents. The final /z/ is voiced in all three, but some UK speakers may reduce vowel length slightly before voiceless consonants in rapid speech, making /ˈæŋ.kəlz/ feel shorter. The main variation to note is subtle vowel quality and the smoothness of the /ŋk/ cluster in different dialects.
The difficulty lies in the /æŋ.kəl/ sequence where the velar nasal /ŋ/ must flow into /k/ without adding an extra vowel, and the final /z/ requires voicing in fast speech. The transition from the nasal to the plosive is a precise timing issue; many speakers insert a tiny vowel or misplace the tongue, causing an awkward break. Practicing the /ŋk/ blend and maintaining a light, relaxed jaw can help you produce a clean, continuous /ˈæŋ.kəlz/.
The key feature is the /ŋk/ cluster linking the nasal /ŋ/ to the velar /k/. This cluster requires tight tongue contact behind the alveolar ridge, with the tip relatively down and the body of the tongue rising toward the soft palate, followed by a swift move to the /l/ vowel position in the second syllable. This precise sequencing—nasal, velar stop, and a lateral/soft /əl/—is what makes ankles sound compact and crisp in fluent speech.
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- US: Maintain rhoticity in surrounding vowels; let the /æ/ be short and crisp, then glide into /ŋ/ with a relaxed jaw. The /z/ should be clearly voiced, keeping a small amount of vibration. - UK: Slightly shorter vowel duration before the /ŋk/ cluster; avoid over-enunciating the second syllable. The final /z/ remains voiced; the /l/ can be a lightly colored, smooth sound rather than a hard l. - AU: Similar to US in rhotics, with a tendency toward a slightly broader vowel in /æ/; keep the /ŋk/ cluster tight and the wrist of the tongue near the palate for a clean transition to /əl/.
Ankles derives from the Old English word ancle, which itself traces to the Latin ancon, meaning elbow or bend, reflecting a shared metaphor of a joint or bend in a limb. The term migrated through Middle English as ancle before standardizing to ankle(s). The plural form ankles appears in part due to the common practice of referring to the joints in pairs. The general sense—joints where a limb bends—has persisted since the language’s Germanic roots, with the current modern sense fully established by Early Modern English. First known uses appear in Middle English medical and anatomical texts where the ankle region is described in relation to foot movement and stability. The pronunciation shifted over time toward the current /ˈæŋ.kəl/ in General American and /ˈæŋ.kəlz/ with the plural /z/ ending in most dialects. The word’s evolution mirrors related joints terminology, maintaining its role as a focal point for mobility, footwear fitting, and injury discussion in contemporary English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "ankles" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "ankles"
-les sounds
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