3 syllables: con, fess, es. Stress on fess.
kuhn-FES-iz
/kəˈnfɛsɪz/
confesses is pronounced kuhn-FES-iz (/kəˈnfɛsɪz/). It has three syllables (con-fess-es), with the stress on "fess". Confesses is the verb form meaning to admit or acknowledge a fault, crime, or belief. In everyday usage, it typically appears as third-person singular present tense, or as a plural noun form in some dialects. The word centers on revealing truth under pressure or admission in personal, legal, or moral contexts.
Confesses is the verb form meaning to admit or acknowledge a fault, crime, or belief. In everyday usage, it typically appears as third-person singular present tense, or as a plural noun form in some dialects. The word centers on revealing truth under pressure or admission in personal, legal, or moral contexts.
- You often misplace stress or reduce the second syllable; practice saying con-FES-ses with strong emphasis on FES. - The ending can slip into an unvoiced /s/ in very careful enunciation; ensure the final is voiced /z/ by gently vibrating the vocal folds. - The middle vowel in US English may become /ɪ/ rather than a full /eɪ/; keep it consistent with /ɪ/ as in /fesɪz/. - Recording yourself helps identify whether you’re maintaining the pitch peak on the stressed syllable and ending with a clear /z/.
"She confesses to the mistake after a long pause."
"The suspect confesses when confronted with the evidence."
"During the interview, he confesses his role in the scheme."
Pronounce as /kənˈfesˌiz/ in US and /kənˈfes.ɪz/ in UK. The stress is on the second syllable: con-FES-ses, with a final voiced -ez sound. In connected speech, the final -es often sounds like z, so you hear /-zɪz/ or /-zɚz/ depending on accent. Mouth position: start with a light schwa, move to a crisp /f/ followed by /e/ as in 'feh,' then the /z/ voice for the final syllables. Listening practice: compare with 'confessor' (/kənˈfesər/) to hear the difference in syllable count and final consonant voicing.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress, saying con-FES-ses with even stress; fix by placing primary stress on the second syllable. 2) Slurring the final -ses into a dull /s/ instead of the voiced /z/; ensure final -es is voiced as /z/ in fluent speech. 3) Failing to reduce the first syllable to a schwa; practice /kən/ rather than /kɔn/ or /kon/. Practice: isolate /kən/ then /ˈfes/ with crisp /f/ and voiced /z/ at the end.
In US, you’ll commonly hear /kənˈfesɪz/ with a reduced final vowel and a strong suffix /ɪz/; the -e- is short. UK speakers often realize /kənˈfesɪz/ or /kənˈfes.ɪz/ with less vowel reduction on the first syllable and crisper /s/ blending into /z/ depending on speaker. Australian accents resemble UK closely but may feature slightly broader vowels in /ə/ and a more pronounced /ɪ/ in the second syllable. Overall rhotics and vowel quality influence the mid-vowel diphthong and whether the ending is voiced /z/ or a lighter /z/ that blends with following consonants.
The challenge lies in the combination of weak initial syllable /kən/ with a stressed /ˈfes/ and a final voiced /z/ that links to the preceding schwa. The transition from a nasal plus schwa onset to a sharp /f/ and then a voiced fricative /z/ requires precise voicing and timing. In rapid speech, the middle /fɛs/ may blur into /fes/; keep the sonority through the stressed syllable and ensure the final /z/ remains voiced in connected speech. IPA: kənˈfesɪz.
In standard English, the final -ses yields a voiced /z/ in most dialects when the following sound allows voicing, so it is typically /-ɪz/ or /-əz/ after the stressed syllable, as in /kənˈfesɪz/. The 'ss' letter cluster itself does not map to a long /s/ or /ɪz/ separately; rather, the plural or third-person ending uses -es to signal /ɪz/ or /z/. In careful speech you’ll hear a clear /z/ voice on the final segment, but rapid speech can reduce to a shorter, lightly voiced /z/.
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- US: rhotic, final /z/; keep schwa in the first syllable /kən/ and a crisp /fes/ onset. - UK: similar to US, but vowel quality in /ə/ may be lighter; ensure not to over-round the vowel. - AU: tends to be less rounded and may have a slightly broader /ɪ/ in the second syllable; maintain voicing on final /z/ and limit vowel reduction in unstressed syllables.
Confesses derives from the Latin confidere, 'to trust,' combining con- (together) and fessus (having spoken). The modern English verb emerges from Middle English confessen, influenced by Old French confesser, meaning 'to declare or acknowledge something openly.' The term evolved to include the sense of acknowledging guilt or fault in religious, legal, and secular contexts. The shift from merely speaking to the public acknowledgment of guilt or truth reflects broader social expectations of accountability. By the 16th century, confesser appeared in English texts with the sense of admitting wrongdoing, particularly in confessional or religious literature. Over time, the word broadened to cover admissions of belief or sin beyond strictly legal or religious frames, into everyday admissions and self-revealing statements. The noun form confessor (one who confesses) and related verbs like confess, confession, and confessed became common in English usage, with confesses as the third-person singular present tense of confess. First known uses in English appear in religious and legal documents of the early modern period, aligning with the period’s emphasis on truth-telling and accountability.
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Words that rhyme with "confesses"
-ses sounds
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