2 syllables: Corps, es. Stress on Corps.
KAWRP-suhz
/ˈkɔɹpsəz/
Corpses is pronounced KAWRP-suhz (/ˈkɔɹpsəz/). It has two syllables (Corps-es), with the stress on "Corps". Corpses is the plural of corpse, meaning dead bodies. In pronunciation, the word is a two-syllable noun with stress on the first syllable: /ˈkɔːrpsɪz/ in US/UK shimmer, though variation occurs with fast speech. The plural adds an /-ɪz/ ending after a voiced consonant cluster, yielding a seamless transition from the /-rps-/ sequence to /-ɪz/. Overall sense: bodies that are dead, often encountered in medical, forensic, or historical contexts.
nounCorpses is the plural of corpse, meaning dead bodies. In pronunciation, the word is a two-syllable noun with stress on the first syllable: /ˈkɔːrpsɪz/ in US/UK shimmer, though variation occurs with fast speech. The plural adds an /-ɪz/ ending after a voiced consonant cluster, yielding a seamless transition from the /-rps-/ sequence to /-ɪz/. Overall sense: bodies that are dead, often encountered in medical, forensic, or historical contexts.
"The museum displayed a table of corpses from the ancient catacombs."
"For public health ethics, investigators must distinguish between corpses and living participants."
"The autopsy report contrasted the corpses' injuries with those of survivors."
Say it as two syllables with primary stress on the first: US/UK/AU: /ˈkɔːrpsɪz/ or /ˈkɔːrpsəz/ depending on syllabic vowel. Start with the open back rounded vowel in 'corn' without the 'n', then move into the cluster /rps/, which slides quickly into the /ɪz/ or /əz/ ending. Focus on holding the /r/ and then releasing into /p/ smoothly before the /s/. For audio guidance, look for native-speaker recordings and pronouncing dictionaries, and imitate the natural tempo.
Common errors include conflating with 'corps' (silent s) or misplacing stress on the second syllable. People may oversimplify the /r/ or insert an extra syllable: /ˈkɔːr-pes/ or /ˈkɔːrpsɪz/ with an awkward vowel. The best corrections: keep stress on the first syllable, pronounce the /r/ clearly in rhotic accents, and execute the /rps/ cluster by stopping the /r/ just before the /p/ and then voicing the /s/ quickly. When you reach /ɪz/, finish with a short, crisp z.
In US English the /r/ is pronounced and the final /z/ is often /z/; many speakers keep the /ɪ/ as a separate vowel: /ˈkɔːrpsɪz/. In UK English, non-rhotic tendencies may slightly soften the /r/, yielding /ˈkɔːpsɪz/ or with an almost dropped /r/ in rapid speech. Australian English is rhotic but may reduce the /ɪ/ slightly in fast speech, keeping /ˈkɔːrpsɪz/ yet with a more clipped /s/ before the final /z/. Across all, the /r/ vowel cluster is the key variation point.
Because you combine a hard consonant cluster /rps/ after a stressed syllable and a voiced final /z/. The transition from /r/ to /p/ to /s/ requires precise timing to avoid an extra syllable or an awkward /rp/ blur. The /ɪ/ or /əz/ ending also challenges non-native speakers in controlling vowel length and voicing. Practicing slow, deliberate pronunciation with a clean /r/ release helps; then speed up while maintaining the same articulatory positions.
The word’s plural ending naturally links to the /ɪz/ or /əz/ suffix, but in careful speech you may hear a brief extra schwa before the /z/ in some dialects, especially before a pause. The critical unique feature is maintaining the /r/ sound before the /p/ when you have rhotic accents, and ensuring the /ps/ sequence merges smoothly into the final /z/ without creating a double release.
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Corpses comes from the Old French corps, meaning body, which itself derives from Latin corpus, meaning body. The plural corpses emerges in Middle English through the addition of -es, following typical English pluralization of loanwords with -s after a consonant, especially after a cluster such as -rps-. The form corps is distinct in Modern English as a standalone word meaning a body or a group (as in “Peace Corps”), but corpses specifically indicates multiple dead bodies. First known use in English appears in the late 12th to 13th centuries, paralleling the development of medical literature and legal vocabulary that distinguished dead bodies from the living. Over time, spelling and pronunciation stabilized with the modern two-syllable rhythm and stress pattern, though rapid speech can blur the /r/ and /p/ into a light /rp/ cluster before the /-ɪz/ suffix. The word’s semantic field—death, corps, and corpses—has reinforced its distinctive pronunciation, separating it from near-homophones in some dialects when spoken fluently.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Corpses" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Corpses"
-ses sounds
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