CHIL-druhnz
/ˈtʃɪldɹənz/
childrens is pronounced CHIL-druhnz (/ˈtʃɪldɹənz/). A plural noun form or possessive-like term not standard in modern English; in everyday use it often appears as an erroneous plural for “children.” The standard, widely accepted forms are “children” (plural) or “childrens’/children’s” in rare possessive constructions. This word is typically flagged as nonstandard or misspelled in formal writing and should be replaced with the correct forms depending on context.
A plural noun form or possessive-like term not standard in modern English; in everyday use it often appears as an erroneous plural for “children.” The standard, widely accepted forms are “children” (plural) or “childrens’/children’s” in rare possessive constructions. This word is typically flagged as nonstandard or misspelled in formal writing and should be replaced with the correct forms depending on context.
"The warning sign was found in the childrens section of the library, which is a misspelling for children’s books."
"Every child’s report card is reviewed, not the childrens’."
"The store features a large section of children’s apparel, not a proper plural of child."
You won’t typically pronounce “childrens” as a standard word because it’s a nonstandard form. If you encounter it, you should treat it as a misspelling of either “children” or “children’s.” Pronounce as /ˈtʃɪl.drənz/ for “children” (stress on first syllable, /ˈtʃɪl.dɹən/; final z sound is typical in plural). Do not add an extra syllable. If forced to read it as written in error, approximate as /ˈtʃaɪldərnz/ with a faint extra schwa, but this is not correct usage. In professional contexts, correct to “children” or “children’s.”
Common mistakes: 1) Reading it as the regular plural -s form ( /ˈtʃaɪldənz/ ) instead of the irregular plural; 2) Deleting the -ren sound or misplacing the stress (trying to say /ˈtʃaɪldənz/ or /ˈtʃaɪldrənz/ inconsistently); 3) Adding an extra syllable by overpronouncing due to the visible spelling. Correct these by using the standard form ‘children’ /ˈtʃɪl.drən/ or possessive ‘children’s’ /ˈtʃɪl.drənz/ and practice the subtle /dr/ cluster after /l/.
The intended sound would be the same as in ‘children’ across accents, but real-world usage differs: US /ˈtʃɪl.drən/ with a rhotic r in some contexts and a clearer /r/; UK /ˈtʃɪl.drən/ with non-rhotic tendencies in some accents, often a weaker final /ən/; AU tends to → /ˈtʃɪld.rən/ with a slightly flatter /ə/ or /ɐ/ vowel in the second syllable and more length on the /ɹ/ depending on speaker. However, it’s important to stress that the word itself is nonstandard; use ‘children’ or ‘children’s’ in all dialects and avoid spreading the mispronunciation.
Because it’s not a standard form. People instinctively try to pluralize a monosyllabic root with a typical -s ending; the irregular plural requires an /-ən/ in the middle syllable (children), which trips speakers who expect a straightforward /-z/ ending. You must maintain the short, reduced second syllable /-drən/ and the unstressed middle vowel. The primary challenge is mapping the irregular stem vowel change from child to children (/aɪ/ to /ɪ/ and the /dr/ cluster). In other words, the difficulty comes from an irregular plural and a subtle vowel shift.
Is ‘childrens’ ever correct in modern English, and when would you encounter it? In standard modern usage, it is not correct. The only acceptable forms are ‘children’ (plural) or ‘children’s’ (possessive). You might see ‘childrens’ in historical spellings, typographical errors, or OCR misreads of ‘children’s’ in archival texts. In edited writing, it should be corrected to avoid confusion. If you’re studying spelling, you can note that irregular plurals like ‘children’ do not follow the regular -s plural rule and therefore never take -s without changing the stem.
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- US: rhotic r, clearer /ɹ/; vowel in first syllable often /ɪ/ as in bit; final /ən/ is reduced. - UK: less rhotic, potential fronted /ɒ/ or /ɒ/ in some accents; second syllable /ən/ with a softened vowel; - AU: similar to US, but with more centralized vowels and a tendency toward vowel narrowing; keep first syllable /ˈtʃɪl/; practice the /drən/ cluster with a light, quick release. IPA references: /ˈtʃɪl.drən/ (US/UK), /ˈtʃɪl.drən/ (AU); focus on rhotacism differences and vowel quality between /ɪ/ vs /ɪə/ depending on speaker.
The word child originates from Old English cild, akin to the Proto-Germanic kildaz. The plural form in Old English was cildru, recorded in late medieval texts, but the modern English plural is children, derived from the Old English futurum-stem pattern where the vowel in the stem changed in the plural (a process called umlaut or ablaut) to reflect the strong noun plural in Germanic languages. The form children emerges in Middle English as a direct descendant of the Old English cild, with the -ren ending popularized in the 13th century through analogical leveling with other irregular plurals. The possessive form of children is children’s, formed by adding ’s after the plural. The nonstandard “childrens” appears as a misspelling or mistaken attempt to pluralize “child” by following regular pluralization rules; it does not derive from historic English but rather from modern spelling errors propagated in informal writing and insufficient editorial oversight.
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Words that rhyme with "childrens"
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