One syllable: clocks.
klahks
/klɑks/
clocks is pronounced klahks (/klɑks/). It has one syllable (clocks), with the stress on "clocks". Clocks refers to devices that measure and display time, typically housed in a circular case and driven by a mechanism or electronics. The word can also be used figuratively to denote a specific time or as a verb meaning to time or timestamp something. It is a plural noun, but in phrases like “clock clocks” or “clocked” it may appear in different grammatical forms. Overall, it denotes timekeeping instruments across contexts.
Clocks refers to devices that measure and display time, typically housed in a circular case and driven by a mechanism or electronics. The word can also be used figuratively to denote a specific time or as a verb meaning to time or timestamp something. It is a plural noun, but in phrases like “clock clocks” or “clocked” it may appear in different grammatical forms. Overall, it denotes timekeeping instruments across contexts.
- Common phonetic challenges you’ll want to fix: • Final cluster confusion: In careful speech you should pronounce as /kz/ (k sound immediately followed by a voiced z). Don’t reduce to /ks/ or /s/ only. Tip: practice saying small syllables /k/ then immediately voice /z/ in a single breath. • Vowel quality: The vowel in stressed syllable can drift between /ɑ/ and /ɒ/ depending on region. Practice with minimal pairs like /klɑks/ vs /klɒks/ to stabilize. Tip: keep the jaw low and mouth wide for /ɑ/; avoid rounding that slides into /ɔ/. • Onset blends: Ensure the /kl/ cluster is tight; avoid inserting a vowel between /l/ and /k/. Practice by holding /kl/ while touching the tongue to the alveolar ridge and then releasing into /k/.
"The clocks on the wall tick loudly in the quiet library."
"We set the clocks forward an hour for daylight saving time."
"Grandfather clocks often have long cases and ornate faces."
/klɒkz/ (UK) or /klɑks/ (US). The word has one stressed syllable: /klɒks/ or /klɑks/, with a voiceless /k/ onset followed by the open back vowel and a voiced final cluster /kz/ that lands as /kz/ in most accents. Mouth position: start with a rounded back vowel in many British dialects, then close with an /s/ that turns to a light /z/ in connected speech. In careful speech you hear the final z-like quality; in rapid speech it can sound like /klɔks/ in some US dialects. Use a quick, crisp /k/ release then attach the z sound smoothly.
Common errors: pronouncing as /klɑːks/ with a drawn-out vowel or mispronouncing the final cluster as /ks/ instead of /kz/. Correction: keep the final segment as /k/ + /z/ with a brief, unvoiced /k/ release leading into a voiced /z/. Ensure the initial /kl/ blend is precise, not /klɪ/ or /gl/. Focus on stopping the vowel before /k/ and then moving into a crisp /z/.
US: /klɑks/ with an open back /ɑ/ and a clear /ks/ ending that can sound like a /k/ followed by a light /z/ in fluent speech. UK: /klɒks/ often with a shorter, tenser /ɒ/ and crisper /ks/ end. Australia: tends toward /klɒːks/ or /klɒks/ with a slightly longer vowel and a non-rhotic feel; the final /s/ may soften toward /z/ in connected speech. Across all, the key is the /kl/ onset, the short open vowel, and the final /ks/ sequence realized as a K followed by a Z sound in most elocutions.
The challenge lies in transitioning from the /k/ closure to the alveolar /s/ without losing the voice onset on /z/ in rapid speech, plus maintaining a crisp initial /kl/ blend. The /ɑ/ or /ɒ/ vowel is short and requires precise mouth shaping to avoid an /ɔ/ or /æ/ drift, which changes meaning in some dialects. Finally, the /s/ can sound like /z/ if the voice continues; keeping voiceless vs. voiced requires fine laryngeal control.
The word ends with a consonant cluster /ks/ that is often realized as a short /k/ followed by a hiss of /s/ and, in many dialects, the /s/ immediately borders a voiced /z/ due to assimilation in connected speech. This yields a Z-like end in rapid talk. The word remains monosyllabic with strong onset /kl/ and a compact vowel, so your jaw should be relatively closed at the vowel and release quickly into /kz/.
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- US vs UK vs AU differences in /a/ quality: US typically uses /ɑ/ (as in father) for the vowel in clocks; UK may favor a more rounded /ɒ/ and shorter vowel; AU often lies between with a broader British-like /ɒ/ but with American influence in some speakers. Vowel length: Endings with /ks/ tend to be short across all; rhoticity differences don’t affect this word, but in connected speech, US tends to have a clearer /z/ voice of the final consonant and UK tends to crisp /s/ less aspirated. Consonant: keep /k/ release crisp, and follow with a voiced /z/. IPA references: US /klɑks/, UK /klɒks/, AU /klɒːks/ or /klɒks/.
Clocks derives from the Old English clocca, related to the Proto-Germanic klokô, all tracing to the root for a bell strike or bell-derived signaling device. The word coalesced into late Old English as cloc, a bell sound, before evolving to mean a bell-driven device for measuring time. Medieval clocks were often driven by weight and gears, and the term extended to indicate the mechanism itself and then the instrument as a whole. By the 14th century, “clock” referred to a device used to program or regulate time, separate from sundials or water clocks. The plural form clocks emerged with regular pluralization in English, indicating multiple timepieces. The evolution reflects the transition from mechanical signaling to precise timekeeping in households and towers, with the modern sense clarifying both the device and its function rather to mark temporal moments. Today, “clock” is used globally, with regional variants in usage (e.g., wall clock, alarm clock), while “clocks” retains its plural sense for devices collectively or multiple locations.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "clocks" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "clocks"
-cks sounds
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