One syllable: does.
duhz
/dʌz/
does is pronounced duhz (/dʌz/). It has one syllable (does), with the stress on "does". Does is a small helper verb or a third-person singular present form of do. In pronunciation, it’s typically a reduced, unstressed form /dəz/ or /dəz/ in connected speech, often realized as a syllabic or weakly stressed token. It contrasts with the noun does in spelling but shares the same phonetic pattern when used as a verb form. Expected uses include questions like 'She does' and negative forms 'She does not.'.
Does is a small helper verb or a third-person singular present form of do. In pronunciation, it’s typically a reduced, unstressed form /dəz/ or /dəz/ in connected speech, often realized as a syllabic or weakly stressed token. It contrasts with the noun does in spelling but shares the same phonetic pattern when used as a verb form. Expected uses include questions like 'She does' and negative forms 'She does not.'
"She does look tired today, but she’ll feel better soon."
"What does he want to eat for dinner?"
"It does seem to be working, doesn’t it?"
Phonetically, does is /dəz/ in many contexts, with the tongue at the alveolar ridge and the z-sound ending. In careful speech or slower speech, you may hear /doʊz/ or /duːz/ if you’re trying to emphasize. The key is a quick, light vowel between /d/ and /z/: a reduced schwa or near-schwa. Stress is weak, content words are not; aim for a short, relaxed vowel and fluent transition from /d/ to /z/ in a single syllable.
Common errors include pronouncing it as /dɔːz/ with a full, stressed vowel or as /duːz/ in casual settings; both distort typical reduced speech. Another mistake is conflating with the noun 'does' as /doʊz/ or with the plural 'dose' which is /doʊs/. Tip: keep a quick, light /ə/ or /ɪ/ depending on speaker and maintain a clear but unstressed glide into /z/.
In US/UK/AU, the main variation is vowel quality and reduction. US often uses a very quick /dəz/ or /dɪz/ depending on context; UK tends toward a slightly more centralized /dəz/ with a softer vowel; Australian can be similar to UK but with more vowel reduction and a less pronounced /ɪ/ in some speakers. The final /z/ is consistent, but the preceding vowel can drift from /ə/ to a near-close vowel, and rhoticity of surrounding vowels can affect perceived vowel length.
The challenge lies in producing a reduced, unstressed vowel before a voiceless-to-voiced transition zone: alveolar /d/ release followed by /z/. The quick schwa must be integrated without creating a separate syllable; many learners add extra vowel length or stress. Mastery requires practicing connected speech, timing the vowel reduction with the following /z/, and avoiding over-articulation that makes it sound like /doʊz/.
A unique nuance is its frequent reduction in running speech where it can sound almost like /dəs/ with a near-syllabic /ɪ/ depending on speed and register. In emphatic contexts, speakers may briefly articulate a fuller vowel like /doʊz/ or /duːz/, but in standard, everyday talk it remains a single, clipped syllable. Listening for the quick transition from /d/ to /z/ and the lack of a strong vowel helps you distinguish it from similar sounding words.
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The word does derives from Old English do (verb), with the third-person singular present form historically aligning with do’s inflected forms. The root do traces to Proto-Germanic word *dōną, akin to Old High German tuon (to do), Dutch doen, and German tun. In Middle English, does appeared as the 3sg present of do, often spelled doþ or dones in manuscripts, gradually standardized to does in modern English. The auxiliary use of does evolved as English shifted toward periphrastic constructions: do-support became a grammatical necessity in questions and negations (do + not) and in emphatic contexts. By Early Modern English, does was unambiguously a contracted or full form identical in spelling to the noun does, with pronunciation settled in Modern English as /dəz/ or /dəz/ depending on stress and following phonetic environment. The form maintains its dual identity as a verb and, in some contexts, as a plural noun in rare archaic forms; the current dominant use is as an auxiliary/lexical verb marking present tense third person singular. First known use in Old English sources appears in forms related to do and the habit of auxiliary support, with stable phonological evolution through Middle English into contemporary pronunciation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "does" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "does" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "does"
-ose sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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