2 syllables: ci, gars. Stress on gars.
sig-AHRZ
/sɪˈɡɑɹz/
cigars is pronounced sig-AHRZ (/sɪˈɡɑɹz/). It has two syllables (ci-gars), with the stress on "gars". Cigars refers to rolled bundles of cured tobacco leaves intended for smoking, typically sold in wrapped form and often associated with leisure, luxury, or certain social contexts. The word denotes the item itself and is used broadly in both everyday and specialized discussions about tobacco products, manufacturing, and culture. In speech, it is a plural noun pronounced with a final /z/ sound.
Cigars refers to rolled bundles of cured tobacco leaves intended for smoking, typically sold in wrapped form and often associated with leisure, luxury, or certain social contexts. The word denotes the item itself and is used broadly in both everyday and specialized discussions about tobacco products, manufacturing, and culture. In speech, it is a plural noun pronounced with a final /z/ sound.
"I bought a box of premium cigars for the celebration."
"The smoking lounge offered a variety of cigars and spirits."
"He carefully cut the cap before lighting his cigars."
Pronounce as si-GARZ, with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK: /sɪˈɡɑːrz/ (US) or /sɪˈɡɑːz/ (UK); ensure the /ɡ/ is a hard G and the final /z/ is voiced. The first syllable is unstressed and reduced slightly: si- sounds like “si” in “sit,” but shorter. Mouth posture: start with a light /s/ hiss, then open the jaw for /ɪ/, drop the back of the tongue for /ɡɑː/, then finish with a crisp /z/. Audio reference: you can compare with pronunciations on Forvo or YouGlish for natural, native-speech examples.
Two typical errors: (1) misplacing stress as in “CIG-ars” or evenly stressing both syllables; correct is si-GARS. (2) pronouncing the final as /s/ or a voiceless /z/less, like /ˈsɪɡɑːs/; ensure the final is a voiced /z/ /z/ and not a /s/. Correction: rehearse the word slowly with a voiced final: /sɪˈɡɑːrz/. Pay attention to the back vowel length: the /ɑː/ should be long in many dialects; in UK English, the vowel quality may be slightly shorter but still broad. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on final voiced consonant.
In US English, /sɪˈɡɑːrz/ with a strong final /ɹ/ quality in some dialects; rhoticity affects the preceding vowel’s influence before /ɹ/ in connected speech. In UK English, /sɪˈɡɑːz/ often has a non-rhotic tendency; some speakers may merge /z/ with a voiced alveolar sibilant, sounding closer to /z/. Australian English follows rhotics and the final vowel may be slightly shorter; /sɪˈɡɑːz/ with a clear /z/. Real differences come from vowel length, rhoticity, and assimilation to surrounding sounds in connected speech.
The challenge lies in the transition from the short, lax /ɪ/ to the broad, open /ɑː/ before the voiced final /z/. Also, the consonant cluster at the end requires precise voicing: keep the /z/ voiced and not devoice into /s/. Distinctive to smokers’ terms, the word’s rhythm and stress placement (si-GARS) can be unclear in rapid speech, especially in casual contexts where connected speech reduces surrounding vowels. Practicing with minimal pairs helps anchor the final voiced z.
A distinctive feature is the final /ɡɑːrz/ cluster, where the /ɡ/ acts as a hard stop before the long open back vowel and the voiced /z/. Make sure your tongue glides smoothly from the back of the mouth to the alveolar ridge for the /ɡ/ and immediately transitions into a voiced alveolar fricative /z/. This seamless transition is what gives cigars its characteristic crisp ending.
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US: rhotic, larger /ɹ/ influence; UK: non-rhotic or reduced rhotic; AU: rhotic with vowel quality similar to US; vowel length and vowel quality differences influence /ɑː/ length and /ɹ/ presence. IPA references: US /sɪˈɡɑːrz/, UK /sɪˈɡɑːz/, AU /sɪˈɡɑːz/. Tip: in US, you’ll hear a more pronounced final /ɹ/ in some dialects; in UK, final syllable often has less /ɹ/; in AU, final /z/ is strong and vowels are more open.
Cigar derives from the Spanish word cigarro, used in the 18th century to describe rolled tobacco. The form cigars follows the English plural suffix -s. Early English usage in the 1700s shows adoption amid tradesmen and smokers as European colonies expanded, with cigarro and cigaré becoming terms for hand-rolled tobacco products. The root likely traces to Caribbean and Spanish-speaking regions where cigars were first popularized in colonial times, reflecting European contact with indigenous tobacco curing and rolling practices. The semantic shift from a product name to a general descriptor of a tobacco product persisted as global trade spread, with “cigar” maintaining its association with hand-rolled, larger-format products. The plural cigars appears in print soon after singular usage, referring to multiple such items. In modern English, cigars retains a traditional, sometimes upscale connotation, and is widely recognized in marketing, culture, and discourse around consumption, etiquette, and regulation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "cigars" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "cigars"
-ars sounds
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