2 syllables: car, ries. Stress on car.
/ˈkæɹɪz/
Say it backCarries is the third-person singular present tense of the verb carry, meaning to support, convey, or bear something physically or figuratively. In pronunciation, carries is typically pronounced with an /ˈkæriz/ or /ˈkæɹiz/ pattern in many dialects, with the -ies reduced to a /iːz/ or /ɪz/ ending depending on dialectal influence. The word often carries a short, stressed first syllable followed by a voiced, syllabic ending in fluent speech.
- You might over-draw the first vowel: keep /æ/ as in cat; avoid /eɪ/ or /eə/ unless you’re in a regional register that shifts vowels. - Final /z/ confusion: some speakers devoice to /s/ in rapid speech. Practice with a voiced /z/ and audio examples to maintain voicing. - Stress misplacement: ensure the stress remains on the first syllable; avoid pitching /ˈkær.iz/ with secondary stress on the second syllable. - Lip rounding: avoid an overt rounding on /æ/; keep the jaw relaxed and the tongue flat, ensuring crisp alveolar contact for /z/.
"She carries the groceries up the stairs every evening."
"The project carries through despite the setbacks."
"This policy carries a lot of weight in today’s market."
In standard American and most UK dialects, carries is /ˈkæriz/. The first syllable is stressed, with a short /æ/ as in cat. The final -ies yields a voiced /z/: /-iz/. In careful speech you may hear /ˈkær.iːz/ for some speakers in linked speech, but the common form remains /ˈkæriz/. Mouth: mouth opens to /æ/ with a relaxed jaw, tip of the tongue near the lower teeth, then wrist to the alveolar /z/ at the end, with a slight extension of the tongue toward the palate for /z/.
Two frequent errors: misplacing stress (say /ˈkɑːrriz/ with a long /ɑː/ as in ‘car’) and mispronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ or /ɪz/. Correct by using a short /æ/ in the first syllable and ensuring the final consonant is voiced /z/: /ˈkæ.rɪz/ or /ˈkæɹiz/, with the tongue slightly curled toward the alveolar ridge for /z/. Practicing with minimal pairs like carries vs carries? (soft) helps, but focus on the final voiced fricative.
US: /ˈkæriz/ with rhotic r and a short /æ/. UK: often /ˈkæriz/ or /ˈkeəriz/ depending on region; rhoticity is less pronounced in some varieties, but final /z/ remains voiced. AU: /ˈkeəriːz/ or /ˈkæɹiz/ with slight vowel raising and a more centralized /æ/ in some speakers. Vowel quality shifts may affect the nucleus of the first syllable, and some Australian speakers may merge /æ/ toward /eɪ/ in tight speech. Listen for a stronger, more rounded lip posture in UK and AU variations.
The challenge lies in the quick transition from a stressed /k/ + /æ/ vowel to a voiced alveolar fricative /z/. You need to maintain a crisp, short /æ/ while transitioning seamlessly into the voiced /z/, avoiding a disfavored /s/ at the end. In connected speech, the -ies ending often devoices or lengthens depending on the following sound; keep the /z/ voice and avoid letting your jaw relax too much before /z/. IPA cues: /ˈkærɪz/ vs /ˈkæriz/.
The uniqueness is in the morphophonemic ending: the -ies forms for third-person singular verbs can produce either /-iz/ or /-iːz/ depending on dialect and tempo. For carries specifically, the common, natural form is /ˈkæriz/ with a voiced final /z/. You may hear slight variation in vowel length or quality in rapid speech; the core is a stressed first syllable, a short /æ/ vowel, and a voiced final /z/.
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- US: /ˈkæɹɪz/ or /ˈkæriz/; rhotic /r/ is pronounced; keep the vowel as a short /æ/ with minimal lip rounding. - UK: /ˈkær.iːz/ or /ˈkæɹɪz/; some speakers have a slightly longer vowel before the final /z/. - AU: /ˈkeəriːz/ or /ˈkæɹiz/; vowel height may shift toward a more centralized /ə/ or /eə/; final /z/ remains voiced. IPA references: US /ˈkærɪz/ or /ˈkæɹiz/, UK /ˈkæriz/; AU may show /ˈkeəriːz/ in some regions; keep the final /z/ voiced.
Carry comes from the Old Northern French carier, from Latin carrīre, meaning to transport. The verb has roots in the Latin root carrus, meaning wagon or cart, which shifts to the Old French word carrier. English borrowed carry by way of Anglo-Norman and Middle English during the medieval period, maintaining its basic sense of bearing something from one place to another. The -ies inflection for third-person singular verbs in English evolved through the influence of early Modern English grammar, where -ies generally indicated third-person singular present tense for verbs ending in -y after a consonant. The pronunciation of carries merges the primary stress on the first syllable, with the final -ies representing a voiced /z/ or /ɪz/ ending depending on the dialect, a change that aligns with English morphophonemic rules. First known uses appear in Old English texts where forms akin to “carriþ” or “carriw” described bearing loads, and by the 15th century, the standard spelling “carries” emerged as the modern form used in print with the indicated pronunciation pattern. Today, carries is a common everyday verb with both literal and figurative senses, including “to support” (a claim, a bridge) and “to fly the flag” (bearing color or identity) in various idioms and collocations.
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Words that rhyme with "carries"
-ies sounds
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