2 syllables: ci, ties. Stress on ci.
SIT-eez
/ˈsɪtiz/
cities is pronounced SIT-eez (/ˈsɪtiz/). It has two syllables (ci-ties), with the stress on "ci". Cities refers to large human settlements generally characterized by dense populations, infrastructure, and diverse social and economic activity. In everyday use, it also denotes the urban environment as a concept or the plural of 'city' in reference to two or more urban areas. The term is versatile across sociocultural contexts and often appears in discussions about planning, demographics, and globalization.
Cities refers to large human settlements generally characterized by dense populations, infrastructure, and diverse social and economic activity. In everyday use, it also denotes the urban environment as a concept or the plural of 'city' in reference to two or more urban areas. The term is versatile across sociocultural contexts and often appears in discussions about planning, demographics, and globalization.
- You may slip into /ˈsɪ.tɪs/ by shortening the second syllable; fix by keeping the second syllable as /tiz/, with a crisp /t/ and voiced /z/. - Another common mistake is de-voicing the final /z/ into /s/ in fast speech; practice by drilling with minimal pairs like sit /sɪt/ vs seats /sitz/ to feel the vocal fold vibration. - The first syllable often becomes unstressed or reduced; ensure you keep /ɪ/ as a strong short vowel, not /ə/. Use slow-to-normal tempo drills to lock the vowel quality.
"- Megacities like Tokyo and Mumbai shape global economics and culture."
"- Many cities offer a mix of historic sites and modern districts."
"- Urban policy debates focus on housing, transit, and sustainability in growing cities."
Pronounce as /ˈsɪ.tiz/ in US and UK; AU often mirrors /ˈsɪ.tiz/. Start with a stressed first syllable /ˈsɪ/ using a short, lax vowel, then a quick /t/ followed by a clear /ɪ/ or a reduced /ə/ before /z/ depending on fluency. Think: 'SIT-iz,' with two crisp syllables and final voiced /z/. Audio references: try listening to /ˈsɪ.tiz/ on Cambridge or Forvo.
The most frequent errors are mixing syllable stress, producing a too-tensed /t/ or devoicing the final /z/ as /s/. Another is reducing /ɪ/ to schwa in the first syllable, making /sə.tiz/. Correct by maintaining /ɪ/ in /ˈsɪ/ and ensuring the /t/ is clearly released before /ɪ/ or /ɪ/ in rapid speech, with a voiced end /z/.
In US English, /ˈsɪ.tiz/ with a rhotic influence on surrounding vowels? The US tends to retain a more compact /ɪ/ in the first syllable. UK English commonly preserves /ˈsɪ.tiz/ with a crisper /t/ and slightly more clipped final /z/. In Australian English, /ˈsɪ.tiz/ is common, but you may hear a marginally longer /iː/ in some speakers and a softer /t/. Overall, syllable count stays 2 with primary stress on the first syllable.
It hinges on the quick consonant cluster between /t/ and /ɪ/ and then the voiced /z/ in rapid speech. Many learners roll the /t/ into a flap or omit the /z/ voice, producing /ˈsɪ.tɪs/ or /ˈsɪ.tiz/ with voiceless final. Mastery requires precise tongue tip contact for /t/, voicing for /z/, and a clear vowel transition from /ɪ/ to /z/, even at natural speech speeds.
A unique angle is the weak-stressed neighbor sounds in rapid speech: some speakers may reduce the second syllable to a near-syllabic /tə/ or /tɪ/?; focus on clearly articulating the final /z/ to avoid confusion with /s/. Maintain the contrast between /t/ release and /z/ voicing to ensure listeners hear the intended plural meaning.
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- US: Focus on a slightly tighter /ɪ/ in /ˈsɪ/ and a voiced /z/; avoid lengthening the vowel before /t/. - UK: Keep a crisper /t/ release and maintain a clear /z/; rhyme with /ˈsɪ.tiz/ with a strong first syllable. - AU: Similar to US/UK but may have a marginally longer /i/; ensure final /z/ remains voiced; practice with Australian media accents for parity. IPA references: US /ˈsɪ.tiz/, UK /ˈsɪ.tiz/, AU /ˈsɪ.tiz/.
The word cities comes from Middle English citie, from Old French cité, from Latin civitas, meaning ‘the condition or state of a citizen, city, or community.’ Civitas itself is derived from civis, ‘citizen,’ tied to the Roman political and social framework. The plural form cities emerges in English to denote more than one city. The sense of ‘a large town’ appeared in early medieval Europe, closely linked to the growth of municipal charters and urban governance. Over centuries, the semantic range widened to include the idea of an urban agglomeration as a socio-economic unit and, in contemporary discourse, a global network of urban centers. Early usage in English texts appears in the 13th-14th centuries as city takes on its plural and collective senses; by the 17th-18th centuries, writers used “cities” to discuss urban planning and population shifts, setting the stage for modern urban studies and policy language.
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Words that rhyme with "cities"
-ies sounds
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