2 syllables: cir, cles. Stress on cir.
SUR-kuhlz
/ˈsɝkəlz/
circles is pronounced SUR-kuhlz (/ˈsɝkəlz/). It has two syllables (cir-cles), with the stress on "cir". Circles refers to plural of the noun circle, meaning a round shape or a group of people or things that are literally arranged in a ring or that meet informally. It can also function as a verb phrase in contexts like “circles around,” meaning to move around something in a circular path. In pronunciation, circles is typically pronounced with stress on the first syllable and a final z sound, yielding two syllables in natural speech.
Circles refers to plural of the noun circle, meaning a round shape or a group of people or things that are literally arranged in a ring or that meet informally. It can also function as a verb phrase in contexts like “circles around,” meaning to move around something in a circular path. In pronunciation, circles is typically pronounced with stress on the first syllable and a final z sound, yielding two syllables in natural speech.
"The children drew circles with chalk on the sidewalk."
"The committee forms circles to discuss ideas informally."
"He walked in wide circles around the park."
Circles is pronounced with two syllables: /ˈsɜːr.kəlz/ in US and UK; the stressed syllable is first: CIR-, followed by a reduced second syllable -cles with a final z sound. Start with the “sir” vowel /ɜː/ (like 'bird'), then light back-of-tongue /k/ onset to the second syllable’s schwa /əl/ before the /z/ ending. In American speech you’ll hear a stronger r-color on /ɜːr/ and a clear /z/. In careful British speech, the /r/ is less rhotic, sometimes realized as /ˈsɜː.kəlz/ with a shorter /ə/ in the second syllable.
Common mistakes include saying /ˈsɪrkəlz/ with a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable (cir- as in ‘sir’), and softening the /l/ into an overly light vowel or omitting the /z/ at the end, saying /ˈsɜːkəl/ or /ˈsɜːkəlz/ without the final voiced /z/. Correct it by gripping the first syllable with /ɜː/ (sir) and making sure the second syllable is a quick, weakly stressed /əl/ followed by a crisp /z/. Practice tying the /l/ to the /z/ via a short release.
In US and UK, the first syllable carries primary stress: /ˈsɜːr.kəlz/. US rhotics preserve the /r/ strongly, while UK BrE often reduces the /r/ to a non-rhotic /ˈsɜː.kəlz/ in some accents, though many speakers still preserve a mild r in rapid speech. The second syllable remains /-kəlz/ with a reduced vowel. Australian English typically mirrors US/UK with rhotic strong /r/ in most speakers, though some Australian varieties are non-rhotic in careful speech; the final /z/ remains voiced. Overall, vowel quality and rhoticity differ; the core two-syllable skeleton remains stable across accents.
The difficulty centers on the cluster /ɜːr/ followed by /k/ and the final /əlz/ sequence. For many learners, the “sir” vowel is mispronounced as /ɪ/ or /ɛ/; the /r/ or lack thereof changes naturalness in different dialects. The transition from the /r/ into /k/ can feel abrupt, and the final /əlz/ requires a quick, light /əl/ to glide into a voiced /z/. Mastery involves clear tongue-root retraction for /ɜːr/, controlled lip rounding, and a crisp release into /k/ then a compact /əlz/.
Focus on keeping strong, initial stress on CIR- and delivering a precise, voiced final /z/. The nucleus of the second syllable is a reduced schwa-like /ə/, kept short and unstressed, which helps the final /l/ glide into /z/. Pay attention to the tongue landing on the /l/ before you tilt into /z/. Producing a clean /ˈsɜː.kəlz/ with a crisp /z/ will help distinguish it from similar words like ‘circles’ in other contexts or ‘circle’ (singular).
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- US: strong rhotic /ɹ/ in /ˈsɜːɹ.kəlz/; keep the r-color smooth, avoid hard fronting of /ɜː/. - UK: non-rhotic tendencies; /ˈsɜː.kəlz/ with less r-color in the first syllable; focus on crisp /k/ release and the /əlz/ cluster. - AU: often rhotic; roll the /r/ lightly and keep /ɜː/ stable; maintain clear /z/ at end; watch for vowel length differences in fast speech. Common diff: US tends toward a fuller /ɹ/; UK often reduces /r/; AU varies with speaker. IPA references help you align with the target accent while maintaining consistent /l/ and /z/ sequencing.
Circles comes from the singular circle, from Latin circulus meaning a small circle, diminutive of circulus, from circulare meaning to go around. The root circul- relates to going around or encircling, from the verb circum- ‘around’. English borrowed circle from Old French cercle, ultimately from Latin circulus. The term in English evolved to include both geometric shapes and social groups arranged in rounds or cycles. The plural circles emerged with regular pluralization of English nouns in Middle English and Early Modern English, aligning with other regular plural formations for words ending in -e when the base form ends in a consonant + -e pattern. First known use of circle as a geometric term appears in Old English around the 9th–11th centuries, with the plural forms and extended figurative senses developing in the later Medieval English period. The sense of “a group of people” as a circle of friends or colleagues is attested in the 16th–17th centuries, expanding to modern meanings like “circles of influence.”
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Words that rhyme with "circles"
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