3 syllables: Cro, cus, es. Stress on Cro.
KROH-kyoo-siz
/ˈkɹoʊkjusɪz/
Crocuses is pronounced KROH-kyoo-siz (/ˈkɹoʊkjusɪz/). It has three syllables (Cro-cus-es), with the stress on "Cro". Crocuses is the plural form of crocus, a spring-blooming flowering plant with cup-shaped blossoms. The word refers to multiple flowers of the genus Crocus and is commonly used in garden writing and horticulture. Pronounced with two syllables in the usual plural usage, it’s a light, snap-stressed term often heard in conversations about seasonal gardening and floral displays.
nounCrocuses is the plural form of crocus, a spring-blooming flowering plant with cup-shaped blossoms. The word refers to multiple flowers of the genus Crocus and is commonly used in garden writing and horticulture. Pronounced with two syllables in the usual plural usage, it’s a light, snap-stressed term often heard in conversations about seasonal gardening and floral displays.
- Misplacing the stress on the second syllable (croc-U-ses). Correction: place primary stress on the first syllable: CRO-cuses and keep the second syllable light. - Lengthening the final vowel into a separate vowel sound (croc-u-ses) or adding a full vowel between k and s. Correction: compress to a short, unstressed -əs or -ɪz. - Conflating with crocus singular, leading to mispronunciation like /ˈkroʊ.kə.kəs/. Practice by saying the word in groups: CRO-cuses, CRO-cuses are blooming.
How to Pronounce Crocuses
"We planted several crocuses along the border to herald spring."
"The crocuses in the front lawn peeked through the melting snow."
"Garden catalogs often feature bold photos of crocuses in full bloom."
IPA: US ˈkroʊ.kəs.ɪz; UK ˈkrɒ.kəs.ɪz; AU ˈkrɒ.kə.sɪz. The main pattern is two syllables with primary stress on the first syllable and a light, unstressed final syllable .ɪz/.əz. Start with a rounded /kroʊ/ in US, a broader /krɒ/ in UK/AU, then a reduced -kəs- before the final -ɪz. Do not insert an extra syllable; it remains two or three if you count the -ɪz as a separate syllable in some pronunciations. Audio reference: listen to native speakers saying “crocuses” in gardening videos or dictionaries for precise voicing of the second syllable.
Common errors include adding an extra syllable (croc-u-ses), misplacing stress (kro-CUS-es), and making the final -ses into a separate stressed syllable. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable: CRO-cuses, with the second syllable reduced to a quick /ɪz/ or /əz/. Use a short, relaxed final -ɪz to avoid a choppy ending. Practice by saying the word in a sentence slowly, then increase speed while keeping the first syllable prominent.
US typically uses /ˈkroʊ.kəs.ɪz/ with a long vowel in the first syllable and a lighter /ɪz/ in the ending. UK tends to /ˈkrɒ.kəs.ɪz/ with a shorter first vowel and less rounding; AU closely mirrors UK, sometimes with slightly more clipped consonants. The final -s is often a quick, reduced vowel, not a strongly enunciated -s. Overall, the main difference is in the first vowel quality and the degree of rhoticity; the pronunciation remains two-syllable and stress on the first syllable across regions.
Two main challenges: 1) the short, reduced second syllable -kəs- with a possible /ɪ/ or /ə/ sound before the final /ɪz/, which many speakers compress or misplace. 2) The pluralization adds an extra syllable for some speakers, leading to overpronunciation like /ˈkroʊ.kjuː.zɪz/. Focusing on keeping the initial vowel long and the final syllable light helps maintain natural pronunciation.
Is there a variant pronunciation where the final -ses is pronounced as -sees in some dialects? No, standard English generally uses -kəsɪz, not -siːz. While some loanwords or regional shifts could alter vowel length, crocuses remains with a short -kəs- followed by a reduced -ɪz/əz; you’ll hear very rare, nonstandard pronunciations, but they are not widely accepted. For reliable usage, stick to /ˈkroʊ.kəs.ɪz/ (US) or /ˈkrɒ.kəs.ɪz/ (UK/AU).
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- US: /ˈkroʊ.kəs.ɪz/ with a clear long O in the first syllable; keep final syllable light. - UK: /ˈkrɒ.kəs.ɪz/ shorter first vowel, more clipped; avoid extra vowel length. - AU: /ˈkrɒ.kə.sɪz/ sometimes a slightly more schwa-like second syllable and faster cadence. - IPA references: use /ˈkroʊ.kəs.ɪz/ (US), /ˈkrɒ.kəs.ɪz/ (UK/AU). - Common mistakes: overemphasizing the final -s; ensure murmur of -ɪz/ rather than /ɪz/ as a full syllable.
Crocus comes from Latin crocus, from Greek krokos, meaning saffron. The word originally referred to the saffron-producing crocus (Crocus sativus) but broadened in English to include the flowering plants of the Crocus genus. The term crocus itself dates to Classical Latin and ultimately to Greek krokos, used in ancient texts describing saffron and its spice. The plural crocuses emerged in English through regular pluralization patterns of Latin-derived nouns in -us to -uses, a form that became common in the 16th–18th centuries as botanical English expanded with plant names. The parallel plural croci also exists (Latin plural), but crocuses is the dominant modern form in everyday usage. The shift from referring specifically to saffron-producing crocus to any of the genus is reflected in horticultural writing from the 19th and 20th centuries, where garden catalogs and floristry adopt crocuses as a generic plural for garden crocus flowers, not strictly the saffron crocus.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Crocuses" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Crocuses"
-ses sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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