One syllable: boys.
boyz
/bɔɪz/
boys is pronounced boyz (/bɔɪz/). It has one syllable (boys), with the stress on "boys". A plural noun referring to male children or young men; as a verb form (boyS), it can function in different syntactic roles. In standard usage, it denotes male individuals and is commonly used in everyday speech. The word’s pronunciation features a rounded vowel followed by a voiceless sibilant, with subtle vowel duration shifts in connected speech.
A plural noun referring to male children or young men; as a verb form (boyS), it can function in different syntactic roles. In standard usage, it denotes male individuals and is commonly used in everyday speech. The word’s pronunciation features a rounded vowel followed by a voiceless sibilant, with subtle vowel duration shifts in connected speech.
- You often mispronounce the nucleus by using a pure /ɔ/ or a longer /oʊ/; fix by gliding from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ quickly to create /ɔɪ/. - The final /z/ can be devoiced in fast speech; ensure your vocal fold vibration continues through the end of the vowel and into /z/, not stopping early. - When linking in phrases, you may insert a light vowel or reduce the diphthong; practice the word in context to keep the nucleus stable and the /z/ audible.
"The boys are playing soccer after school."
"I saw two boys walking their dogs downtown."
"The boys’ club organizes weekly volunteer work."
In US English you pronounce it as /bɔɪz/. Start with an open-mid back rounded vowel /ɔ/ moving quickly into the high front /ɪ/ to form the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, then end with a clear voiceless /z/. Keep the tongue high enough for the /ɪ/ portion, but avoid delaying the glide; the transition should feel smooth and compact. You’ll hear a crisp final /z/ in careful speech; in fast talk, it can blur slightly with /s/ sound, but aim for a distinct /z/.
Common mistakes include: 1) Pronouncing the nucleus as a pure /o/ or /oʊ/ rather than the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, and 2) voicing issues where the final /z/ becomes a /s/ in rapid speech or an unreleased /z/. To correct, shape the /ɔɪ/ by starting with /ɔ/ then quickly raising the tongue toward /ɪ/ as you glide into /z/. Maintain voicing for /z/ and avoid a break between the diphthong and final consonant.
In US, UK, and AU, the core /bɔɪz/ nucleus remains similar, but vowel quality varies: US tends to a slightly lower and more rounded /ɔ/; UK often has a more centralized onset and crisper /z/; AU tends toward a broader /oɪ/ with a less rounded /ɔ/ in many varieties. Rhoticity does not alter the word significantly, but overall speech tempo and vowel length can shift slightly; listeners should focus on the diphthong’s glide and the final z’s voicing.
The difficulty lies in the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, which requires a smooth, integrated transition from /ɔ/ to /ɪ/ while maintaining precise tongue height and lip rounding. Many speakers truncate the diphthong or merge it toward /o/ or /aɪ/, and the final /z/ must be fully voiced without voicing the following sound. Mastering subtle vowel movement and maintaining a clean final /z/ is essential for natural-sounding speech.
Unlike many plural nouns, 'boys' introduces a single, tight diphthong /ɔɪ/ followed by a crisp /z/. The word lacks an overtly stressed syllable beyond the one primary nucleus, so coarticulation with neighboring sounds (as in 'the boys are') can cause merging or reduction in rapid speech. Focusing on a clean diphthong with immediate onset of /z/ helps ensure intelligibility in both careful and casual speech.
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US: /bɔɪz/ with a slightly rounded /ɔ/ and clear /z/, keep the diphthong compact. UK: /bɔɪz/ with a crisper /z/ and often a shorter vowel duration; non-rhotic tendencies don’t alter the word, but the surrounding consonants may sandwich it. AU: /bɔɪz/ similar to US, but vowel quality can be broader and vowel duration slightly longer in careful speech; ensure the glide is smooth and the /z/ remains voiced.
The word boys derives from the Old English word baegen or baegenan, which referred to male companions or servants in early Germanic usage. Over time, Middle English settled on boy, with the plural boys emerging through regular pluralization patterns (-s) during the late medieval period as English grammar standardized. The form boy itself originates from Proto-Germanic *buka- or *bō, associated with male youth. By the 13th-14th centuries, the plural boys appeared in written records to denote multiple male children or young men, distinguishing from the older form bairn used for child in general. The pronunciation shift that affects present-day American, British, and Australian English chiefly concerns the vowel in the nucleus of the word and the final -s cluster, with voiceless sibilant being the boundary. Modern dictionaries mark the pronunciation as /bɔɪz/ in most varieties, with minor regional vowel quality differences. The term has remained stable in meaning: male youths, and by extension, a group of males in social or communal settings. Its usage broadens in contemporary contexts to refer to young men rather than small boys in informal talk, while still retaining the core sense of male youth across dialects and registers.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "boys" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "boys"
-ise sounds
-ice sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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