2 syllables: chee, ses. Stress on chee.
CHEE-ziz
/ˈtʃizɪz/
cheeses is pronounced CHEE-ziz (/ˈtʃizɪz/). It has two syllables (chee-ses), with the stress on "chee". Cheeses is the plural form of cheese, referring to multiple types or quantities of cheese. It functions as a noun in most contexts, though it can appear in phrases like “cheeses and crackers.” The word denotes dairy products with varied textures and flavors, and is commonly used in culinary, restaurant, and grocery contexts. Pronounced with a light, affricate-sibilant ending rather than a hard stop, it flows smoothly when spoken in sequence.
Cheeses is the plural form of cheese, referring to multiple types or quantities of cheese. It functions as a noun in most contexts, though it can appear in phrases like “cheeses and crackers.” The word denotes dairy products with varied textures and flavors, and is commonly used in culinary, restaurant, and grocery contexts. Pronounced with a light, affricate-sibilant ending rather than a hard stop, it flows smoothly when spoken in sequence.
"We sampled several cheeses at the tasting bar, including cheddar, gouda, and brie."
"The recipe calls for two cups of grated cheeses to melt evenly."
"She brought a cheese board to the picnic, perfect for sharing."
Pronounce it as /ˈtʃiːzɪz/ (UK) or /ˈtʃizɪz/ (US). The first syllable is stressed and starts with the /tʃ/ sound as in cheese, followed by a long /i/ in many speakers, then the -z/ sound and the plural ending /ɪz/ or /ɪz/. In careful enunciation, you should hear CHEEZ-iz with the vowel gliding to a shorter final -iz. For Australian English, the vowel may be slightly shorter than UK but keeps the same /tʃ/ onset and /z/ final. Audio references: you can compare recordings on Forvo or YouGlish using “cheeses.”
Common errors: (1) pronouncing the first vowel as a short /ɪ/ instead of the long /iː/; (2) mispronouncing the final consonant cluster as /z/, when many accents realize a voiced alveolar fricative /z/ plus a light /ɪz/, and (3) overemphasizing the ending so it sounds like /ˈtʃizɪz/ with a clipped or mis-timed /ɪ/; corrections: keep the /iː/ or a clear /i/ in the first syllable, ensure the /z/ is soft as in “zoo” moving into the final /ɪz/; practice with slow repetitive drills and record yourself to adjust vowel length.
In US English, CHEES-iz tends to have a shorter first vowel, with a stronger /z/ followed by a reduced /ɪz/; rhotics do not affect this word. In UK English, the first vowel can be a longer /iː/ in careful speech, the -es ending remains a clear /ɪz/; in fast speech it may become /əz/ or /ɪz/. In Australian English, vowel quality is similar to UK but with a more centralized or flattened /iː/ and a slightly softer /z/; the overall rhythm remains iambic-ish with a stress on the first syllable. Intentional listening to regional recordings will reveal subtle vowel shifts.
The difficulty lies in the vowel length of the first syllable and the final plural fragment. The transition from /iː/ to /z/ to /ɪz/ requires precise timing, especially in rapid speech. The combination of the long or short /i/ and the final /z/ plus the trailing /ɪz/ can create a momentary vowel reduction. Cheeses also involves maintaining a smooth onset /tʃ/ and avoiding a heavy or abrupt sibilant. Using slow, controlled practice helps build the correct tongue position and rhythm.
A unique consideration for cheeses is the plural suffix realization after a sibilant ending; many speakers shift to a slightly reduced or elongated /ɪz/ depending on tempo, and some dialects may voice the ending differently. The onset /tʃ/ is another focal point because it blends with the front vowel; keeping the tongue high and close to the palate helps with the smooth glide into /i/ and then /z/. This word also benefits from stress stability on the first syllable even when connected in rhythm.
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US: /ˈtʃizɪz/, stress on first syllable; vowels are slightly reduced in casual speech. UK: /ˈtʃiːzɪz/ or /ˈtʃizɪz/ with a longer first vowel in careful speech; non-rhoticity doesn't affect this word, but the vowel may be slightly tenser. AU: /ˈtʃiːzɪz/ or /ˈtʃizɪz/, with a mid-to-high front vowel and a softer, less clipped ending; rhoticity not a concern in this word. IPA references: US /ˈtʃizɪz/, UK /ˈtʃiːzɪz/, AU /ˈtʃiːzɪz/. Accent differences involve vowel length, rhotics, and end-syllable vowel quality.
Cheeses derives from the Old English word cēse, which itself comes from Proto-Germanic *kasiz, linked to the Latin caseus through late Latin caseus and Old French fromage. The word shifted in English to chees, then cheeses with the customary plural -es suffix. The semantic core remained stable: a food made by coagulating milk and aging it to yield flavor compounds and textures. In Middle English, forms varied regionally (cheese, chese, ches), but by Early Modern English, cheeses had become the standard plural in most dialects. The development tracks a long-standing dairy tradition in Europe, where cheese-making dates to at least 4000 BCE, reflecting the sociolinguistic expansion of food terminology as markets and kitchens diversified. The word’s sense broadened with urbanization and culinary literature, from a generic “cheese” to a category of varieties, and finally to the plural form used to indicate multiple varieties or portions in menus and recipes. First known printed uses appear in culinary treatises of the 15th–16th centuries, with “cheeses” appearing consistently in recipe lists and household inventories. Today, cheeses encompasses a wide spectrum of styles (hard, soft, blue, fresh) and regional terms, retaining its etymological core while expanding semantically to describe a category rather than a single product.
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Words that rhyme with "cheeses"
-ees sounds
-ase sounds
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