3 syllables: com, plex, es. Stress on com.
KAHM-plek-suhz
/ˈkɑmplɛksəz/
complexes is pronounced KAHM-plek-suhz (/ˈkɑmplɛksəz/). It has three syllables (com-plex-es), with the stress on "com". Complexes refers to objects or systems composed of interconnected parts, or to psychological constructs such as a set of related ideas, feelings, or behaviors. The term can function as a noun (plural) or as an adjective in phrases like complex systems. In common usage, it conveys intricacy, interdependence, or a grouped collection that is not easily understood at first glance.
Complexes refers to objects or systems composed of interconnected parts, or to psychological constructs such as a set of related ideas, feelings, or behaviors. The term can function as a noun (plural) or as an adjective in phrases like complex systems. In common usage, it conveys intricacy, interdependence, or a grouped collection that is not easily understood at first glance.
"The research team studied several complexes in the protein to understand their functions."
"Her portfolio includes several art complexes that each tell a different story."
"The math problem involved multiple complexes of equations that required careful alignment."
US/UK/AU pronunciation is /ˈkɒm.plɛk.sɪz/ (US: /ˈkɑːmˌplɛksɪz/ per regional variation). The primary stress is on the first syllable: KOM-plex-es. Say the first syllable with a short o as in 'cot,' then the second syllable with a clear 'plek' (p-l-e-k), and finish with a light 'sɪz' cluster. Keep the final -es as a z-sound in most accents. Reference: Cambridge/Oxford dicts provide audio pronunciations you can compare. Practically, ensure the /pl/ cluster remains tight and the second syllable lands with a clear /-ɛk-/ or /-leks-/ depending on accent, but in most standard pronunciations it aligns with /ˈkɒm.plɛks.ɪz/.
Common errors: (1) misplacing stress, saying ko-MPLEKS-es instead of KOM-plex-es; (2) softening the /pl/ cluster into a /p/ + /l/ separation or misreading as 'kom-muh-plex-es' by inserting extra vowel; (3) confusing final -es with regular plural /ɪz/ or /z/; fix by keeping the final /ɪz/ after the /ks/ ending. Practice the sequence KOM-ples-iz with tight /pl/ and a crisp /ks/ before the /ɪz/. Use minimal pairs and shadowing to lock the rhythm.
In US, the first syllable often has /ˈkɑːm/ or /ˈkɒm/ with strong initial stress and the second syllable using /plɛks/; the final /ɪz/ tends to be voiced /-ɪz/. In UK English, you’ll hear /ˈkɒm.pleks.ɪz/ with a slightly clearer /ʊ/ or /ɒ/ in the first vowel depending on regional rhoticity. In Australian English, expect a similar Americanized /ˈkɒm.plek.sɪz/ with a slightly softer diphthong in /ɔː/ or /ɒ/ and rhotacization less prominent. IPA references: /ˈkɒm.pleks.ɪz/ (UK), /ˈkɑːm.pleks.ɪz/ (US), /ˈkɒm.pleks.ɪz/ (AU).
Two main challenges: the consonant cluster -pl- between two closed syllables, and the -ces ending with /ɪz/ or /z/ depending on the preceding vowel and stress. The combination of /pl/ and /ks/ requires precise tongue positioning; the final /ɪz/ can elide slightly in fast speech. Focus on a tight lip and tongue for /pl/ and a clean /ks/ release into /ɪz/. The stress on the first syllable also demands a strong opening with a clear vowel.
There are no silent letters in the plain pronunciation of complexes. Every letter contributes to the sound: C (as /k/), o (as /ɒ/ or /ɑː/), m, p (as /p/), l (as /l/), e (as /ɛ/), x (as /ks/), es (as /ɪz/). The tricky part is the /ks/ sequence from the x and the attachment of /ɪz/. If you’re not articulating the /ks/ clearly, you’ll sound like /-plek-əz/ instead of /-pleks-ɪz/.
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The word complexes comes from Latin complexus, meaning ‘a wrapping, entwining, or embracing,’ from complecti ‘to embrace, entangle.’ The root plex- or plect- means ‘to weave or braid,’ and is related to words such as complex, duplex, and perplex. Complexus in Latin referred to something entwined or braided together, later evolving in Romance languages to denote an assemblage of parts forming a whole. In English, complex appeared in the 17th century with senses related to intricate structures or systems, and complexes emerged in the plural form by the 19th century to indicate multiple intertwined elements or groups of ideas. Through psychology and sociology, complexes also took on a figurative sense—patterns or clusters of thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that are interrelated and hard to separate. The word has retained its core sense of “composed of many interconnected parts” while expanding into academic fields like geometry (complex numbers) and psychoanalytic theory (psychological complexes). First known use as a noun phrase would be in early modern English parlance, when scholars discussed “complexes of rocks” or “complexes of ideas,” gradually standardizing to the modern noun plural complexes by the 1800s. The term enjoys widespread cross-disciplinary use in science, math, psychology, and everyday language to describe something with intertwined components.
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Words that rhyme with "complexes"
-xes sounds
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