2 syllables: con, cludes. Stress on cludes.
kuhn-KLOODZ
/kənˈkludz/
concludes is pronounced kuhn-KLOODZ (/kənˈkludz/). It has two syllables (con-cludes), with the stress on "cludes". Concludes is a transitive verb meaning to bring something to an end or to arrive at a judgement after considering all information. In practice, it often appears in formal writing and argumentation to signal the final result or inference. The pronunciation centers on a final -s cluster after a stressed syllable, commonly forming a clear, concise closing sound.
Concludes is a transitive verb meaning to bring something to an end or to arrive at a judgement after considering all information. In practice, it often appears in formal writing and argumentation to signal the final result or inference. The pronunciation centers on a final -s cluster after a stressed syllable, commonly forming a clear, concise closing sound.
"The report concludes that climate change requires urgent action."
"After reviewing the evidence, she concludes with a cautious recommendation."
"The study concludes with several limitations noted by the authors."
Pronounce as /kənˈkluːdz/. The syllable division is con-cludes, with the primary stress on the second syllable: kuː. The first syllable is unstressed and reduced to /kən/. The final -z is voiced, sounding like /z/ as in 'zoo.' In connected speech, you’ll link the /n/ to /k/ and the /d/ softly into the /z/. Practice by saying: kən-ˈkluːdz, then slower: kən-cled. Include slight lip rounding for /uː/ and release the final /d/ into /z/ smoothly.
Common errors: 1) Pronouncing the final cluster as /s/ instead of /z/ after a voiced consonant; fix by voicing the final note: release the /d/ into a clear /z/ sound. 2) Weak second syllable stress or misplacing stress as /ˈkɒnkludz/; ensure the strong stress is on the second syllable: /kənˈkluːdz/. 3) Overly tight lips on /uː/ leading to a clipped vowel; keep the vowel rounded and elongated. 4) Linking issues: avoid separating /kən/ and /ˈkluːdz/—connect the n with the l to produce a smooth transition.
In US and UK, the final /dz/ often lands as a clear /dz/ or /d͡z/ before a vowel-initial word; the /ˈkluː/ portion remains long. In some US dialects the /r/ is absent here; UK and AU share similar non-rhotic tendencies: /kənˈkluːdz/ with no post-vocalic /r/. Australian English typically features non-rhotic patterns and a slightly tighter /uː/; the main difference is vowel quality and slight vowel reduction in faster speech. Overall, the primary vowel /uː/ is consistent, stress on the second syllable; the final /dz/ is voiced in all three accents, but its duration and consonant release can feel more compressed in rapid AU speech.
The difficulty centers on the consonant cluster at the end: the transition from the stressed /ˈkluː/ to the voiced /dz/ requires a precise voicing contrast from the preceding /d/ within the same syllable boundary. Students often mispronounce it as /ˈkluːds/ with a voiceless /s/ or as /ˈkluːd/ dropping the final /z/. Additionally, the initial unstressed schwa /ə/ in /kən/ can reduce too much, weakening the word start. Mastery comes from practicing the voicing change, ensuring the /d/ releases into a voiced /z/ with a natural, breathy closure.
No. 'Concludes' has no silent letters in standard American/British spellings. The tricky part is the final voiced /z/ sound after /d/ and the secondary stress pattern shifting emphasis to the second syllable. Focus on ensuring the /d/ releases into /z/ rather than forming a separate /d/ sound or a voiceless /s/.
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US: /kənˈkluːdz/ with a clear /ˈkluː/ and a released /z/. Non-rhoticity is less of a factor here since /r/ isn’t involved. UK: keep the /ˈkluː/ vowel height and ensure no intrusive /r/; emphasize /d͡z/ as a single unit. AU: similar to US/UK but with a slightly tighter vowel and faster spoken rate; the /ˈkluː/ tends to be shorter and the final /z/ may be more fleeting. Vowel quality: /uː/ should be long and rounded; keep lips rounded slightly for the long vowel; ensure final /z/ breath release is audible but not exaggerated. IPA references: US /kənˈkluːdz/, UK /kənˈkluːdz/, AU /kənˈkluːdz/.
Concludes derives from the Latin conclūdere, formed from con- (together) + clūdere (to shut, close). The Latin root clūdere means to shut or close; con- serves as a prefix intensifying or linking, and -cludes traces through French conclure and Middle English conclude. The word entered English via legal and scholastic contexts, adopting a sense of bringing an argument to a close or an agreement to a decision. In modern usage, it spans both formal reasoning (“the argument concludes that”) and outcomes (the event concludes at sunset). The transition from tightly bound “shutting” in Latin to abstract “closing a discussion” in English reflects a common semantic shift: physical closure to conceptual closure. By the 16th–18th centuries, conclude appeared in English discourse to summarize or deduce from premises, then widened to statements about results, endings, and final outcomes in various domains—law, philosophy, scientific writing, and everyday speech. The participial form “concluding” and the noun “conclusion” expanded the family, reinforcing the sense of finality and inference that remains central today. The phonology has shifted little; the core meaning emerged from the root sense of closing, and the suffix -s in concludes marks third-person singular present or plural forms depending on the sentence structure.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "concludes" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "concludes"
-des sounds
-ces sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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