One syllable: chicks.
chiks
/tʃɪks/
chicks is pronounced chiks (/tʃɪks/). It has one syllable (chicks), with the stress on "chicks". Chicks is the plural noun or verb form of chick, referring to young birds or, in informal usage, women. Pronounced with a short /ɪ/ vowel and a voiceless /tʃ/ onset, it is a concise single-syllable word in most dialects. The plural or past-tense sense depends on context, but pronunciation remains consistently /tʃɪks/.
Chicks is the plural noun or verb form of chick, referring to young birds or, in informal usage, women. Pronounced with a short /ɪ/ vowel and a voiceless /tʃ/ onset, it is a concise single-syllable word in most dialects. The plural or past-tense sense depends on context, but pronunciation remains consistently /tʃɪks/.
"The farmer checked the chicks in the coop this morning."
"She bought a dozen chicks at the farmers market."
"The chicks chirped loudly as the mother hen watched over them."
Pronunciation: /tʃɪks/. Stress on the single syllable; onset is the voiceless palato-alveolar affricate /tʃ/ as in chair, followed by /ɪ/ (a short lax vowel), and final cluster /ks/ that merges /k/ and /s/. Tip: keep the tongue blade high for /tʃ/, relax the jaw for the short /ɪ/, and avoid adding a vowel after the /s/.
Two common errors: (1) prolonging the vowel to /iː/ as in 'cheeks' or 'chips,' which changes meaning; (2) mispronouncing /tʃ/ as simple /s/ or /t/; ensure the /tʃ/ is an affricate with a brief release. Keep /ɪ/ short and unstressed, and close with a crisp /ks/ cluster. Practice by isolating the /tʃ/ and immediately blending into /ɪ/ then /ks/.
In US, UK, and AU, /tʃɪks/ is generally consistent for the word, with minor vowel quality differences. US may have a slightly higher, tenser /ɪ/; UK often a shorter, lax /ɪ/; AU tends to a neutral, centralized /ɪ/. Rhotic influence is not central here since /ɪ/ is vowel nucleus, but surrounding accent rhythm and vowel length can subtly shift timing.
The difficulty lies in producing a clean affricate /tʃ/, avoiding a plosive /t/ and ensuring the following /ɪ/ remains short before the /ks/ cluster. Beginners often split the blend or add an extra vowel. Mastery requires timing: the /tʃ/ articulates with a quick release into /ɪ/ and swift transition to /ks/ without epenthesis.
A unique challenge is maintaining the brevity of the /ɪ/ vowel while ensuring the /ks/ cluster lands cleanly without an intrusive vowel between /ɪ/ and /k/. Some speakers insert a schwa between /ɪ/ and /k/ when under pressure. Focus on a tight, light jaw and quick tongue-tip turn to keep /tʃɪks/ compact.
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Chicks traces to Middle English chicken, from Old English cocc. The root word is likely derived from Germanic origins linked to chick or chickling, a diminutive form used for small birds. By the 14th century, chick had emerged as a general term for a young bird, often a chicken, especially in nursery contexts. The plural chicken’s diminutive form evolved into chicks through phonetic simplification, aligning with how English forms plurals and diminutive nouns. The modern sense of chick (young bird) is entrenched in farm vocabulary and rural speech, while chick as a slang for a young woman or girl broadens the semantic field in contemporary usage. The word maintains a straightforward, clipped pronunciation, reflecting its short, single-syllable structure and common usage in everyday speech. First known use of the modern spelling chicks appears in early modern English texts, with attestations in the 16th–17th centuries alongside other diminutive plurals and farm-related terms.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "chicks" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "chicks"
-cks sounds
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