4 syllables: de, liv, er, ies. Stress on liv.
/dɪˈlɪvəriz/
Say it backDeliveries refers to the act or process of delivering goods, services, or messages, typically by a courier or carrier, or the items themselves that have been delivered. It can also mean the route or schedule of deliveries. The term often appears in business, logistics, and retail contexts. Usage emphasizes plural instances or multiple delivery activities over time.
"The deliveries should arrive between 9 and 11 AM today."
"They tracked several deliveries from the warehouse to the storefront."
"The company announced a delay in deliveries due to weather."
You say /dɪˈlɪvəriz/. The primary stress is on the second syllable: de-LI-ver-ies. Start with /dɪ/ as in 'did', move to /ˈlɪv/ with a short, lax vowel and a clear 'v', then /ə/ as a quick schwa in the third syllable, and finish with /riz/ where the final z is voiced. The plural suffix is /-z/ after a vowel.
Common errors: misplacing stress, saying de-LIV-er-ees or di-LIV-er-ies; mispronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ or /ɪz/. Correction: keep primary stress on LI: /dɪˈlɪvəriz/. Ensure the second syllable is not reduced too much; pronounce /ˈlɪv/ clearly, then a brief /ə/ before /riz/. Ensure voicing on the final /z/.
US and UK share /dɪˈlɪvəriz/ with stress on LI, but US tends to a tighter /ɪ/ vs UK /ɪ/ maybe slightly shorter; rhoticity in US makes /r/ more prominent; UK is non-rhotic, but /r/ in this word appears before a vowel still; AU often mirrors US but with broader vowels; pace and intonation vary, but the phonemes stay largely the same.
Two challenges: the cluster /lv/ in the stressed syllable can be tricky; the transition from /v/ to /ər/ to /iz/ requires smooth voicing and a quick schwa; plural /-iz/ after a vowel is easy to mispronounce as /-is/ or /-əz/. Focus on maintaining the /l/ and /v/ transition and clearly voicing the final /z/.
A unique aspect is keeping the /r/ soft in non-rhotic accents while preserving a distinct /r/ when followed by a vowel; in many contexts, the /r/ is pronounced as a linking or intrusive sound. In deliver-ies, ensure the /r/ immediately before the suffix is audible, but not exaggerated, especially in UK English.
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Deliveries derives from the verb deliver, itself from Old French delivre (to set free, to deliver) and Latin liberare (to free). The prefix de- conveys removal or completion, while -ery forms a noun indicating an action or result. In Middle English, deliveren (to deliver) appeared, influenced by French durante the Norman period, and evolved into “delivery” by the 14th century. The plural form deliveries emerged to denote multiple acts or instances of delivering. Over time, the meaning shifted from a general act of delivering to the more specific sense of the items or the process of delivering goods, often within logistics, mail, and service industries. First known uses appear in trade and legal contexts where witnesses described the delivery of goods or messages, and by the modern era it’s commonplace in catalogs and shipping, with the plural frequently attached to delivery routes or schedules.
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Words that rhyme with "deliveries"
-ers sounds
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