3 syllables: clar, i, fies. Stress on clar.
KLER-uh-feyez
/ˈklɛɹəˌfaɪz/
clarifies is pronounced KLER-uh-feyez (/ˈklɛɹəˌfaɪz/). It has three syllables (clar-i-fies), with the stress on "clar". Clarifies is a verb meaning to make something clear or easier to understand by explaining it or removing confusion. In practical use, it often introduces explanation or detail to ensure comprehension, and can apply to statements, plans, or procedures becoming transparent through elucidation. The form shown is third-person singular present tense, or the base form when used with auxiliaries, with the -es suffix on third-person singular and -ing for continuous forms.
Clarifies is a verb meaning to make something clear or easier to understand by explaining it or removing confusion. In practical use, it often introduces explanation or detail to ensure comprehension, and can apply to statements, plans, or procedures becoming transparent through elucidation. The form shown is third-person singular present tense, or the base form when used with auxiliaries, with the -es suffix on third-person singular and -ing for continuous forms.
- You’ll often misplace stress between the first and second syllables, making it sound like /ˈklɑːr.ɪz/ or /ˈklær.ɪz/ without the -faɪz; ensure the -faɪz final cluster is crisp. - The middle vowel can flatten to a schwa in rapid speech; keep it as /ɪ/ to preserve the three-syllable rhythm rather than compressing into two. - Finalization: /faɪz/ should not become /fiz/; keep the long glide from /ɪ/ to /aɪ/. Practice with slow slicing and then speed, ensuring the /z/ is voiced clearly.
"The teacher clarifies complex instructions by breaking them into simple steps."
"She clarifies her position in the memo to avoid any misinterpretation."
"The report clarifies the methodology used in the experiment."
Pronounced /ˈklær.ɪˌfaɪz/ in US English and /ˈklær.ɪˌfaɪz/ in UK English; Australian generally follows /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪz/ with rhoticity depending on speaker. The primary stress is on the first syllable: CLA-rifi(es). The middle syllable sounds like -ih- as in kit, and the final -fies ends with a /faɪz/ cluster. Tip: keep the /æ/ for the first vowel, then glide from /ɪ/ to /faɪz/.
Common mistakes: misplacing stress across syllables, producing /ˈklær.ə.faɪz/ with too weak a second syllable, and simplifying the final /faɪz/ to /fɪz/. Corrections: maintain primary stress on the first syllable /ˈklær/; clearly articulate the second syllable as /ɪ/ (as in sit); finish with /faɪz/ rather than /fəz/ or /faɪ/; practice by saying CLAH-rih-FAHYZ slowly and then at natural speed.
US: /ˈklær.ɪˌfaɪz/ with a rhotic /r/ in some speakers and clear /æ/ vowel; UK: /ˈklær.ɪˌfaɪz/ with non-rhotic typically, less rhotic r; AU: /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪz/ often rhotic-ish in casual speech; vowel sounds can be flatter in Australian English; all share the /ɪ/ to /faɪz/ transition but vowel quality and rhoticity vary by region.
Two main challenges: the sequence of short vowel /æ/ to /ɪ/ in the second syllable can feel tight, and the final /faɪz/ blend combines a high front vowel with a glide into a voiced fricative. The extrametric cluster “fi-” requires a smooth transition, not an abrupt stop. Pay attention to linking between /ɪ/ and /faɪz/ and keep the final /z/ voiced."
The word features a clear diphthong in the final syllable /faɪz/ that blends a near-high to high tongue position; the primary stress is on the first syllable, creating a strong initial beat that can mask the subsequent syllables if rushed. The middle syllable /ɪ/ should be light but not reduced; maintain distinct syllables to avoid mispronouncing as ‘clarif-uses’ or ‘cla-rapid-izes’.
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- US: /ˈklær.ɪˌfaɪz/ with clear rhotic influence if certain speakers add an /r/; emphasize the /æ/ in the first syllable, then /ɪ/ and /faɪz/. - UK: typically non-rhotic; /ˈklær.ɪˌfaɪz/; keep the final /ɪ/ short, but don't reduce the diphthong; - AU: /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.faɪz/; more pronounced American-influenced rhoticity in casual speech, with a slightly flatter /æ/; use IPA notes for precise position. - General: keep the first syllable strong, then a lighter middle, ending with a crisp /faɪz/; avoid inserting extra consonants or swallowing the syllables.
Clarify derives from the Late Latin clarificare, from clarus ‘clear, bright’ + facere ‘to make’ or ‘to do’. The root clar- appears in many Romance languages with the sense of making clear or bright. In English, clarify first appeared in the 15th century in religious and scholastic contexts, meaning to make something clear or bright in a figurative sense. Over time, the sense broadened to include removing doubt or misunderstanding, not just literal clarity. The -fy suffix, from Latin -ficare via Old French -fier, indicates the action of making or causing. The word’s usage shifted from “making clear” in explanations and definitions to general use in communication, law, science, and everyday discourse, where precision of understanding is vital. The phonology of clarify and its derivative clarify-forms influenced by stress patterns (clar- vs -fi-). The simple past clarified and the present tense clarifies show regular verb conjugation, while the participle clarifying is common in continuous aspects. First known use in English traces to late Middle English sources that borrow from Latin into academic and ecclesiastical writing, with later adoption into broader secular usage as literacy and formal communication expanded.
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Words that rhyme with "clarifies"
-ses sounds
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