2 syllables: be, comes. Stress on comes.
/bɪˈkʌmz/
Say it backBecomes is the third-person singular present tense of become, used to describe a change of state or condition. It signals a transition from one status to another and often appears with a subject in everyday speech or writing. The word combines the base verb be with come, producing a contracted, phrasal-like form in rapid speech.
- You may underemphasize the second syllable, yielding /bəˈkʌm/ without the final /z/. To fix, practice holding the second syllable longer and add the voiced /z/ clearly. - Misplacing the stress or flattening the vowel so it sounds like /bɪˈkʌmz/ or /bəˈkʌm/; keep the stressed /ʌ/ in /ˈkʌm/. - Slurring the /k/ into a softer sound or merging /k/ with /m/; practice with a clear, brief stop before /m/ to maintain crisp boundary. - In rapid speech, the first syllable /ə/ can reduce too much, causing difficulty in hearing the separation; rehearse with a slower tempo then speed up, ensuring the schwa remains perceptible.
"The caterpillar becomes a butterfly after metamorphosis."
"Over time, the city becomes more diverse and vibrant."
"Her attitude becomes clear once you see how she handles challenges."
Becomes is pronounced /bəˈkʌmz/. The stress falls on the second syllable: be-comes. Start with a relaxed, short schwa /bə/ (like the 'ba' in about), then an emphasized /ˈkʌm/ (the 'come' part with a short, open-mid back vowel), and end with a voiced z /z/ from the final /s/. In rapid speech, the /ə/ can be reduced, but maintain the clear /k/ and the final /z/ for intelligibility. Practicing with the phrase 'he becomes' helps fix the rhythm.
Common mistakes include reducing the /k/ to a softer contact or slurring the /k/ into /g/, and misplacing the stress on the first syllable. Another error is pronouncing the final as a voiceless /s/ instead of the voiced /z/, making it sound like /-kɪmz/ or /-kɔmz/. The correction is to keep the /k/ crisp and end with a voiced /z/; ensure the second syllable carries primary stress with a clear /ˈkʌm/ and not a reduced vowel. Practice by isolating the second syllable and then linking it to the first: /bəˈkʌmz/.
In US, UK, and AU accents, the /ə/ in the first syllable remains a schwa, but vowel quality in /ˈkʌm/ can vary: US may have a slightly darker /ʌ/; UK can be closer to /ʌ/ with tighter jaw; AU often features a more centralized vowel and reduced final vowel length. The final /z/ remains voiced across dialects, but in casual speech Australians might de-emphasize the final murmur. Additionally, U.S. rhoticity means the /r/ is absent here, but rhotic accents affect surrounding vowels in connected speech. Maintain /bəˈkʌmz/ with a crisp /k/ wherever you speak.
The difficulty lies in the quick transition from a weak first syllable to a strong second syllable, plus producing a clear, voiced final /z/ after /m/. The /ə/ is often reduced in casual speech, which can blur the syllable boundary, and the /k/ must be unaspirated or lightly aspirated depending on stress. Additionally, the final /z/ can be devoiced in careful speech if followed by a pause, which can change perceived pronunciation. Practicing with deliberate tempo helps stabilize the rhythm: /bəˈkʌmz/.
There is no silent letter in the standard pronunciation of 'becomes'. All letters contribute to the sound: a schwa in the first syllable, a stressed /k/ plus /ʌ/ in the second, and a final /mz/ sequence where the /m/ and /z/ are voiced and audible. In very careful speech or rapid diction, you might hear a subtle reduction of the first vowel, but the letters are not silent in typical usage. Focus on the audible /bəˈkʌmz/.
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- US: Keep the /ɚ/ like environment away from the first syllable; allow a slightly darker /ʌ/ in /kʌm/. Final /z/ is harmonic with /s/ in /z/ voice; keep it voiced. - UK: Slightly crisper /k/ and more pronounced /ʌ/; less vowel reduction in connected speech; final /z/ kept with moderate voicing. - AU: More centralized vowels; final /z/ may have less length; maintain the /ˈkʌmz/ cluster with a gentle aperture on the second vowel; ensure non-rhoticity on preceding vowels but /z/ remains voiceless-lax-like depending on context.
Becomes traces to be- + -come, with the sense of coming into being or changing state. The etymology is rooted in Old English be- (a prefix indicating existence or causation) and cuman (to come). In Middle English, forms like become came to mean “to come to be” or “to turn into.” The modern construction coalesces around the sense of transition: to become something is to come into that new state. The verb has maintained this sense across the centuries, with “becomes” emerging as the singular third-person form of the present indicative. The word’s phonology also reflects its history: the tensing of the vowel sound shifts and the consonant cluster aligns with typical English prosody in unstressed syllables. First known uses appear in Germanic and Old English texts where “become” and related forms were used to describe natural or moral transformations, evolving into the standard modern form by Early Modern English. In contemporary usage, “becomes” is common across formal and informal registers, frequently appearing in academic discourse, narrative prose, and analytical writing to express ongoing change.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "becomes" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "becomes"
-mes sounds
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