2 syllables: chan, ces. Stress on chan.
CHAN-suhz
/ˈtʃænsəz/
chances is pronounced CHAN-suhz (/ˈtʃænsəz/). It has two syllables (chan-ces), with the stress on "chan". Chances (plural noun) refers to the likelihood or possibility of something happening, or opportunities for action. It can describe probabilistic odds or favorable occasions. In everyday use, it often appears in phrases like “take your chances” or “have chances to succeed.”.
Chances (plural noun) refers to the likelihood or possibility of something happening, or opportunities for action. It can describe probabilistic odds or favorable occasions. In everyday use, it often appears in phrases like “take your chances” or “have chances to succeed.”
- Mistake: treating the second syllable as a separate vowel harm, resulting in /tʃænsɪz/ with an unintended extra syllable; correction: maintain a single unstressed schwa-like /ɪ/ or /ɪ/ sound between /n/ and /z/ without inserting a stronger vowel. - Mistake: mispronouncing the final /z/ as /s/; correction: keep voicing; feel the vibration in the throat for /z/. - Mistake: flattening the /æ/ to /eɪ/ or /ɑː/; correction: choose a short front lax vowel as in 'cat' for /æ/ or an open back /ɑː/ in some dialects, consistent with your target accent. - Mistake: blending /tʃ/ too slowly leading to a choppy rhythm; correction: maintain a quick, clean onset and let vowel glide into /n/.
"She took her chances and started the business."
"They have several chances to win the prize."
"Don't miss your chances to ask for help."
Pronounce as /tʃænsɪz/ in US pronunciation or /tʃɑːnsɪz/ in many UK varieties. Start with the /tʃ/ sound as in 'chair', then /æ/ or /ɑː/ depending on accent, followed by /n/, a short schwa-like /ɪ/ before the final /z/ sound. Primary stress is on the first syllable: CHA-NS-IZ. For reference, you can listen to native speakers on Pronounce or Forvo and compare with Cambridge/Oxford dictionaries’ audio.
Common mistakes include merging the vowel in the first syllable too early (saying /tʃeɪnsɪz/ rather than /tʃænsɪz/ or /tʃɑːnsɪz/) and voicing the /z/ too late or as /s/: pronounce clearly as /z/ in final position. Another error is doubling consonants or misplacing the /n/: ensure the /n/ is a single alveolar nasal before the final /z/. Practice by isolating /tʃ/ + /æ/ (or /ɑː/) + /n/ + /z/ and recording yourself.
In US accents, /tʃ/ is followed by /æ/ and a light /n/ before /z/, sometimes with a quick /s/ onset to link to the following word. In many UK varieties, the first vowel may be more open /ɑː/ as in /tʃɑːnsɪz/; rhoticity is variable but the final /z/ remains voiced. Australian accents generally have /tʃænsɪz/ with a short vowel, non-rhotic tendencies may color the vowel. Overall, the main differences lie in the vowel quality of the first syllable and the rhythm.
The difficulty comes from the short, clipped /æ/ or /ɑː/ vowel before an alveolar nasal /n/ and a voiced final /z/. The transition between /n/ and /z/ requires smooth voicing; many learners either devoiced the /z/ or insert a vowel. Additionally, the /tʃ/ onset is precise and must not be conflated with /s/. Practicing the sequence /tʃ/ + vowel + /n/ + /z/ in a continuous flow helps maintain a natural cadence.
Chances has no silent letters: all letters contribute to pronunciation. The primary stress remains on the first syllable in most contexts, with a secondary, weaker presence on the second syllable when emphasized in long phrases. There is no widely used alternative pronunciation; you’ll mainly encounter /tʃænsɪz/ or /tʃɑːnsɪz/ depending on accent, with the /z/ always voiced.
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- US vs UK vs AU: US typically uses /tʃænsɪz/ with a lax /æ/ like in 'cat'; UK may use /tʃɑːnsɪz/ with a broader vowel; AU often similar to US but with a slightly more centralized /ɪ/ in the second syllable. In all, /tʃ/ onset is consistent; focus on the voice of /z/ at the end; rhoticity in US makes final /z/ more pronounced in connected speech; UK often softer, with less trailing R coloring unless in connected speech; practice by mapping to IPA and listening to native speakers.
Chances comes from Middle English chances, from Old French chançe ‘opportunity, luck, fate,’ from Latin cadere ‘to fall.’ The sense evolution tracks the idea of something that might happen or befall someone, like a fortune or risk, through the concept of a falling event or turn of fortune. In English, the word shifted from meaning ‘luck’ or ‘fortuitous event’ to emphasize the likelihood of outcomes and opportunities. The root chançe carried broader notions of fortune and fate in medieval romance and legal language, later narrowing to probabilistic opportunities in modern usage. First known uses appear in late Old English and early Middle English texts, influenced by Norman French after the Norman Conquest. Over centuries, the plural form chances reinforced the sense of multiple opportunities or probabilities rather than a single event. By the 16th–18th centuries, chances was well established in everyday English to discuss odds, opportunities, and risk tolerance, remaining common in both formal and informal contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "chances" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "chances"
-ces sounds
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