2 syllables: dan, cers. Stress on dan.
DAN-surz
/ˈdænsɚz/
dancers is pronounced DAN-surz (/ˈdænsɚz/). It has two syllables (dan-cers), with the stress on "dan". Dancers is the plural of dancer, referring to people who perform dance. It denotes multiple individuals who execute choreographed movement to music. In everyday use, it can describe a group, class, or profession, with emphasis on performing artistry and bodily motion.
Dancers is the plural of dancer, referring to people who perform dance. It denotes multiple individuals who execute choreographed movement to music. In everyday use, it can describe a group, class, or profession, with emphasis on performing artistry and bodily motion.
"The dancers rehearsed the sweeping ballet routine for hours."
"A group of dancers took the stage, their movements synchronized with the orchestra."
"We booked two dancers for the charity performance."
Phonetically: /ˈdænsəz/ (US) or /ˈdɑːnsəz/ (UK). The primary stress is on the first syllable: DAHN-səz. Begin with a short, open front vowel for /æ/ (US) or a longer /ɑː/ in many UK accents, followed by /n/ and /s/. The final syllable reduces to /əz/ or /zɚ/, with the /ə/ sounding like a weak schwa. Mouth position: jaw drops slightly for /æ/ or /ɑː/, tongue high for /æ/ and then tip behind alveolar ridge for /n/, lips relaxed for /s/ before a voiced /z/. Audio reference: you can listen to native usage in phrases like “the dancers” in pronunciation platforms and YouGlish samples.
Two frequent errors: (1) Pronouncing the final -ers as a separate syllable like ‘dancer-s’ instead of a reduced /əz/. (2) Misplacing the /æ/ or /ɑː/ vowel—either too fronted or too rounded. Correction: keep the final /əz/ cluster tight and quick; end with a light, voiceless /s/ followed by a voiced /z/ with minimal vowel. Practice with minimal pairs: /ˈdænsəz/ vs /ˈdænsər/ and load-bearing practice with “dancers” before consonant clusters to lock the reduction. Use slow articulation then speed up while maintaining the rhythm.
In US English, /ˈdænsəz/ with a clear short /æ/ and a later /z/ in /əz/. UK English often uses a broader /ɑː/ in the first syllable: /ˈdɑːnsəz/. Australian English tends toward /ˈdænsəz/ with a slightly more nasal or centralized vowel and a non-rhotic tendency in connected speech, but many speakers maintain the /z/ final. The final -erz remains reduced in most accents; stress remains on the first syllable across varieties. Pay attention to rhoticity and vowel quality when listening to performance contexts.
The difficulty lies in the rapid reduction of the final -ers to /əz/ and the precise mouth fetch between /æ/ or /ɑː/ and the alveolar nasal /n/. The cluster /ns/ followed by /z/ requires steady tongue tip contact and air flow control to avoid an extra vowel. Additionally, maintaining the correct stress with a quick final syllable can challenge non-native speakers or speakers with speech rhythm differences. Practicing with controlled pacing helps your mouth anticipate the transition from /ns/ to /əz/.
Is the plural suffix always pronounced as /-əz/ in 'dancers', or can it be /-z/? In careful speech, you’ll hear /-əz/ as a quick, light /əz/ after an /s/ ending, but many speakers reduce to /-z/ in rapid phrases (The dancers are here = /ðə ˈdænsəz ɑːr hɪr/). The main point is the ending blends with the preceding /s/ and the following consonant sounds, producing a very brief vocalic nucleus. Focus on the reduction timing and the harmony with the next word.
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Dancers derives from dancer, from Middle English danser, borrowed from Old French danser, from Latin dandere meaning ‘to dance’. The Latin root is dan-, related to dancing motions. English adopted -er suffix to indicate a person who performs an action. The plural form adds -s, reflecting standard English morphology. The word appears in Middle English as d ensers and danser, with the earliest attestations tied to street dancers and performers. Over centuries, “dancer” expanded from a general term for someone who dances to denote professional performers in stage arts, social dance, and ballet. By the 16th–18th centuries, troupe and corps terms coexisted, while “dancer” became common in print to describe individuals rather than generic activity. The plural “dancers” entered regular usage as dancing grew into organized performance forms in opera, theater, and colonial entertainment, preserving the original sense of multiple individuals performing choreographed movement.
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Words that rhyme with "dancers"
-ers sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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