2 syllables: au, thors. Stress on au.
AW-thurz
/ˈɔθɚz/
authors is pronounced AW-thurz (/ˈɔθɚz/). It has two syllables (au-thors), with the stress on "au". Authors is a plural noun referring to people who write. It can also be used more broadly to describe creators of written works. The word shares its pronunciation with the singular author, but the plural form introduces a final -s that often compounds the preceding syllable’s sound in fluent speech.
Authors is a plural noun referring to people who write. It can also be used more broadly to describe creators of written works. The word shares its pronunciation with the singular author, but the plural form introduces a final -s that often compounds the preceding syllable’s sound in fluent speech.
"The authors of the report will release a revised edition next month."
"Some of the authors here publish under a pseudonym."
"The authors debated the ethics of data sharing during the conference."
Pronounce as /ˈɑːθərz/ in US, with primary stress on the first syllable. The first syllable uses a low back vowel, the th (voiced? in this case voiceless) sound /θ/, followed by a schwa or reduced /ər/ in unstressed second syllable, and final /z/. In UK, it’s often /ˈɔːθəz/ with a similar /θ/ and final /z/ or /s/ depending on voicing. In Australian speech, expect /ˈɔːθəz/ with a similar pattern. Imagine “AH-thurs” with a light final z. Audio reference: you can compare on Pronounce or Forvo for native speaker samples.
Common missteps include turning the /θ/ into /f/ or /s/ (e.g., 'af-ers') and misplacing stress, saying 'AU-thers' with second syllable emphasis. Another error is pronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ in rapid speech when the preceding vowel is reduced, making the ending sound like /əz/ rather than /ərz/. Practice the unvoiced /θ/ accurately and maintain final voiced /z/ in connected speech.
In US English, the first syllable carries primary stress with /θ/ as a voiceless dental fricative, and the final /z/ is voiced. In UK English, the vowel in the first syllable may be slightly more open, often /ɔː/ or /ɒː/ depending on regional variation, with similar /θ/ and final /z/ or /s/. Australian English tends to have a flatter, broader vowel for /ɔː/ and may glide the second syllable slightly; the /z/ remains voiced. All share /ˈθ/ in the initial cluster but vary vowel quality.
The difficulty often lies in the initial /θ/ sound, which is rare for some language backgrounds and requires placing the tongue between the teeth and blowing air without voice. The diphthongal quality of the following vowel and the final /ərz/ cluster can be tricky, especially maintaining a clean /z/ voice after a schwa-like vowel. Additionally, rapid speech can compress vowels, turning /θɔːθərz/ into a less distinct sequence.
Is the 'authors' ending a voiced /z/ in all dialects? Mostly yes, but some accents may realize a devoiced or lenited final consonant before a pause or in careful, slow speech it may sound like a voiceless /s/ in certain UK regional variants. The typical, speaker-friendly form remains /ˈɑːθərz/ (US) or /ˈɔːθəz/ (UK), with a clearly voiced /z/ in connected speech.
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Authors comes from Old French auteur, from Latin auctor, meaning 'originator, founder, author, promoter.' The Latin term affirms a person who creates or originates a work or action. In Middle English, an 'author' was often used to mean the person who produces a written work or an originator of a principle, law, or theory; the plural 'authors' would simply denote more than one originator. The English form likely entered borrowed use from French, with the -s pluralization typical of English to indicate multiple individuals. By the 16th century, 'author' clearly meant the creator of a book or document, and by extension, a person who writes or composes text. The plural 'authors' has been consistently used to refer to those who produce literary or scholarly works, or more broadly to creators of any textual content. Modern usage extends to anyone who originates a written product, including collaborative teams, but the term retains its core sense of originator or producer of written material.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "authors" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "authors" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "authors"
-ers sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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