2 syllables: cap, tors. Stress on cap.
KAP-turz
/ˈkæptɚz/
captors is pronounced KAP-turz (/ˈkæptɚz/). It has two syllables (cap-tors), with the stress on "cap". Captors are people who seize or hold others, typically for ransom or interrogation. The term emphasizes the agents of capture rather than the captured person, and is used in contexts ranging from crime reporting to fiction. It often appears in plural form to refer to multiple individuals involved in the act of taking and detaining.
Captors are people who seize or hold others, typically for ransom or interrogation. The term emphasizes the agents of capture rather than the captured person, and is used in contexts ranging from crime reporting to fiction. It often appears in plural form to refer to multiple individuals involved in the act of taking and detaining.
- You’ll often mispronounce the second syllable with a shorter /ɔ/; keep it long: /ˈkæp.tɔːz/. - Final consonant devoicing: avoid turning /z/ into /s/ in rapid speech; keep voicing. - Rhotic vs non-rhotic: ensure US rhotics are pronounced if you aim for US accent; UK/AU may reduce /r/ in final position.
"The captors demanded a ransom for the release of the hostages."
"Police traced the footsteps that led investigators to the captors."
"The captors kept the suspects isolated, offering scant clues about their motive."
Pronounce as /ˈkæp.tɔːrz/ in US English, with primary stress on the first syllable. The first syllable rhymes with ‘cap’; the second syllable uses a long open-mid back vowel /ɔː/ before the plural /z/. Mouth positions: start with a light lip spread for /k/ and /æ/, then drop jaw for /æ/; for /tɔː/ open the jaw more and round the lips slightly for the /ɔː/; finally add voiced z /z/ at the end. In careful speech, you’ll hear a clear /z/ rather than a voiced fricative blend.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing the primary stress or making the second syllable prominent; keep stress on CAP. (2) Shortening /ɔː/ to /ɒ/ as in British casual speech; ensure the long vowel /ɔː/ is maintained before the /z/. (3) Devoicing the final /z/ into /s/ in fast speech; practice keeping /z/ voicing. Correction: practice slow repetition emphasizing /ˈkæp.tɔːz/ and then speed up while maintaining vowel length and voiced end.
US: /ˈkæp.tɔːrz/ with rhotic /r/ and clear /z/. UK: /ˈkæp.tɔːz/ often with non-rhotic r, final /z/ may be realized as /z/ but softer; vowel in second syllable is long /ɔː/. AU: /ˈkæp.tɔːz/ similar to UK but with more centralized vowels and a slightly flatter /ɐ/ in some speakers; the /r/ is non-rhotic; final /z/ remains voiced.
Two main challenges: the long /ɔː/ in the second syllable and the final voiced /z/ after an /r/-like cluster is not present; many speakers merge /ɔː/ with /ɒ/ or drop voicing in rapid speech, turning /z/ into /s/. Also, the two-syllable rhythm with distinct first-stress and long second syllable can be tricky in connected speech. Focus on crisp /ˈkæp.tɔːz/.
There are no silent letters in captors. The key features are the two-syllable structure with primary stress on the first syllable, and the final voiced /z/ sound. Some speakers in casual speech may devoice the end or assimilate to /s/ in fast dialogue, but careful speech keeps /z/.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity; keep /r/ before vowel or end position spoken, but in coda position, US may still voice /r/ slightly. /ɔː/ is long and back; keep it rounded. - UK: non-rhotic after vowels; final /z/ remains voiced; note that /t/ between syllables can be more flapped or unreleased in casual speech; keep it precise. - AU: tends toward non-rhotic with a centralized vowel in some speakers; stress matches US; practice with longer /ɔː/ and clear /z/.
The word captor derives from the Latin capere, meaning to seize or take, with the agentive suffix -tor, used in English to denote one who performs an action (as in translator, director). The Middle English word captour appeared in legal and criminal contexts, evolving into captor by the 16th century. Cognates in other Romance languages reflect the same root concept of seizing property or persons. Over time, the plural form captors became common in journalism and crime reporting to designate more than one person involved in the act of capture. The sense broadened from a strictly physical seizure to include detaining or holding someone under force, often with intent to demand ransom or extract information. First known uses in English literature date to the early modern period, with later 19th- and 20th-century crime reportage solidifying the term as a standard noun referring to the perpetrators of capture. The semantic field remains tied to coercion and restraint, distinguishing captors as the agents of capture rather than the victims.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "captors" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "captors" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "captors"
-ors sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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