2 syllables: dev, ils. Stress on dev.
/ˈdɛv.əlz/
Say it backDevils is the plural form of devil, referring to malevolent supernatural beings or figurative “evil people.” In everyday usage it can denote enemies or harm-doers in a story, or as a playful insult in competitive contexts. The word conveys a sense of danger, mischief, or malice, and is often used with adjectives like ‘fierce’ or ‘dark.’
- 1) Over-enunciating the second syllable: you might say DEV-elz with a full /l/ and a drawn-out /əl/. Fix: compress to /ˈdɛv.əlz/ with a quick, light /əl/. - 2) Final /z/ confusion: pronouncing /s/ instead of /z/ due to voiceless context; fix by voicing the final consonant: bring your vocal folds together for a brief /z/ voicing. - 3) Misplacing stress in fast speech: in phrases like “the devils are coming,” you may reduce it wrongly. Practice isolated word stress: DEV-əlz, then attach to surrounding words for rhythm.
"The town faced a band of devils who sabotaged the harvest."
"In the story, the devils torment the hero with tricks and temptations."
"The football team played like devils on the field, relentless and aggressive."
Pronounce as /ˈdɛv.əlz/ in most dialects. The first syllable carries primary stress: DEV- with a short e as in ‘bet.’ The second syllable is an unstressed schwa version of -el, sounding like -əl, followed by a voiced z. Mouth position: lips relaxed, tip of the tongue near the lower front teeth for the /d/ and /v/; the /ɛ/ as in ‘bed’; the /v/ as a labiodental fricative; the /əl/ with a light, quick reduction.
Common mistakes: (1) Over-articulating the second syllable, producing DEV-ELZ with a clear /l/; (2) Pronouncing the final sound as a hard /s/ instead of the voiced /z/, giving DEV-əlss or DEV-elss; (3) Misplacing the stress as DEV-əlz. Correction tips: keep the second syllable unstressed with a quick /əl/; ensure the final consonant is /z/ by voicing with the vocal folds and not turning it into /s/. Practice a quick, light -z sound at the end.
In US and UK, /ˈdɛv.əlz/ with rhoticity affecting only the preceding vowel context; AU tends toward a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable and a slightly longer /ɪ/ in some speakers, but many Australian speakers still use /ˈdɛv.əlz/ with a softer /ə/. The main difference is intensity and vowel quality rather than basic phoneme set. US tends to a crisp /ˈdɛv.əlz/; UK often similar but with a subtler /ɪ/ or schwa depending on speaker. All three keep final /z/ voiced.
The difficulty lies in the fast alternation between the alveolar /d/ and labiodental /v/ at the start, plus producing a reduced second syllable /əl/ without over-emphasizing the /l/. The final /z/ requires maintaining voicing in a coda that’s sometimes whispered in rapid speech. For non-native speakers, the sequence /d V əl z/ can blur; focus on holding a clean /d/, then a relaxed /ə/ before a crisp /l/ and a voiced /z/.
A distinctive aspect is the subtle reduction of the second syllable: emphasize the first syllable with a strong /ɛ/ vowel, then quickly transition to a schwa-like /ə/ before the /l/ and /z/. Some speakers may pronounce it as /ˈdɛv.əlz/ with a nearly imperceptible /l/ if the /l/ is very light or elided in rapid speech. The unique factor is the balance between a clear first syllable and the weak second syllable.
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- US: clear, rhotic vowel quality; keep /ɛ/ bright and the /z/ fully voiced. - UK: similar pattern, but some speakers have a slightly tighter jaw; aim for a precise /d/ and crisp /z/. - AU: more vowel centralization in the second syllable; maintain /ə/ rather than a full /ɪ/; keep final /z/ voiced. IPA references: US /ˈdɛv.əlz/, UK /ˈdɛv.əlz/, AU /ˈdɛv.əlz/. - Tips across accents: keep the first syllable stable; the second syllable should be light and quick; the final /z/ should stay voiced even in rapid speech.
Devils comes from the Middle English devil, from Old English deofol, which itself traces to the Latin diabolus through the Ecclesiastical Greek diababolos. The proto-Germanic root *diabolo- or *deofolaz carried the sense of a malevolent being opposing God. Over centuries, the plural form devils emerged in the sense of multiple wicked beings or personified evil, paralleling other pluralized religious or mythological terms. The shift from singular to plural often reflected metaphorical usage (as “devils” among crowds or inside a person’s temptations) in late Old English and Early Modern English. In modern usage, devils retains both literal supernatural sense and figurative usage for “devilish” behavior, often softened in non-supernatural contexts (devil of a problem, devils in the details). First known written instances appear in medieval religious texts and folklore, with the plural appearing in varied forms as English vocabulary expanded and orthography stabilized. The semantic trajectory moves from a specific demon in religious cosmology to a broad label for harmful people, mischievous actions, or particularly troublesome situations, while maintaining strong cultural associations with danger and temptation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "devils" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "devils" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "devils"
-els sounds
-ils sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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