One syllable: crops.
/ˈkrɑps/
Say it backCrops refers to cultivated plants or harvestable yields, or the act of harvesting. In agriculture, it denotes the products gathered from fields, such as grains or vegetables, typically grouped as a single crop or multiple crops in a season. The term emphasizes the agricultural produce as a unit, rather than individual plants.
"Farmers are preparing the crops for market after a long growing season."
"The drought reduced the crops that survived, affecting the autumn harvest."
"Different crops require distinct irrigation schedules and soil care."
Pronounce crops as /krɑps/ in US, /krɒps/ in UK, and /krɒps/ in AU. The initial consonant cluster /kr/ starts with a hard /k/ release immediately into /r/. The vowel is a short open back /ɑ/ (US) or /ɒ/ (UK/AU) followed by a final /ps/ blend where /p/ is released into /s/. Stress is on the single syllable: CROPS. Audio references: you can compare with Forvo entries for crops in each region.
Common errors include closing the lips too tightly before the /r/ leading to a misproduced /kr/ cluster, and voicing issues between /p/ and /s/ where speakers might devoice /s/ or release /p/ too strongly. Another frequent error is flattening the vowel to a schwa before /p/ or inserting an extra vowel, making it sound like ‘cruh-ops.’ Correction: keep a tight, quick /kr/ onset, finish /p/ with a crisp /p/ release into /s/, and hold the vowel as a short /ɑ/ or /ɒ/ without extra vowel sounds.
In US English, /krɑps/ with an open back /ɑ/ and a clear /s/ at the end. UK English typically uses /krɒps/, with a shorter, more rounded /ɒ/; Australian accents align with /krɒps/ but may exhibit a slightly reduced /r/ quality and quicker vowel transitions. The final /ps/ cluster is generally realized as a fast, unaspirated /p/ followed by /s/. Overall, the main differences are the vowel quality in the first syllable and the presence or strength of rhoticity.
The difficulty centers on the consonant cluster /kr/ at the start and the final /ps/ blend. The /r/ following /k/ requires careful tongue contraction, especially in non-rhotic varieties where /r/ can be subtle. The final /ps/ sequence demands a rapid, clean release from /p/ into a voiceless /s/ without creating an extra vowel or voicing. Mastery comes from precise tongue position for /k/ and /r/, and a crisp p-s release.
The word crops has a single stressed syllable with a compact, closed syllable structure: /krɑps/ or /krɒps/. The challenge is articulating the immediate /r/ after /k/ and executing the /ps/ blend quickly, without inserting an extra vowel. Focus on a short, rapid /ɑ/ or /ɒ/ and a fast, clean /ps/ transition to avoid a trailing vowel and preserve the crisp plosive-to-sibilant sequence.
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Crops comes from the Old English word cropp, meaning a piece or lump, which later evolved to mean the end of the neck or a thicket of growth; by the 13th century it referred to the fruit of the earth, i.e., growth or harvest. The modern sense—plants cultivated for food or the harvest itself—emerged as agricultural societies standardized fields and seasonal yields. The term likely shares roots with Germanic languages where cropp or kroppa indicated a lump or bunch, extending metaphorically to the bundle of stalks or yields in a field. Over centuries, crop as a mass noun generalized to refer to all cultivated plants produced in farming, and by the 18th–19th centuries the plural crops became common in seasonal and market contexts to describe multiple harvestable products across crops and fields. First known uses appear in medieval agrarian documents, evolving with agricultural practices and crop rotation methods that emphasized grouped harvests as economic units. The plural form crops also reflects a shift from singular to plural when discussing categories of plants collectively grown for consumption or trade, reinforcing the word’s semantic focus on agricultural yield.
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Help others use "crops" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "crops" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "crops" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "crops"
-ops sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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