2 syllables: du, ties. Stress on du.
DOO-teez
/ˈdutiz/
duties is pronounced DOO-teez (/ˈdutiz/). It has two syllables (du-ties), with the stress on "du". Duties is the plural form of duty, referring to tasks or responsibilities assigned to someone. In everyday use, it encompasses formal obligations (work duties) and moral or ceremonial duties; it also appears in legal and organizational contexts. The word is typically unstressed on the first syllable and carries primary stress on the second: DU-ties.
Duties is the plural form of duty, referring to tasks or responsibilities assigned to someone. In everyday use, it encompasses formal obligations (work duties) and moral or ceremonial duties; it also appears in legal and organizational contexts. The word is typically unstressed on the first syllable and carries primary stress on the second: DU-ties.
- You will often hear people insert an extra syllable: /ˈdjuː.tiː.z/; avoid this by maintaining the no extra syllable rule. - The first syllable can be over-articulated as /ˈdjuː.tədʒiːz/; keep it crisp: /ˈdjuː.tiz/. - Final s pluralization can lead to devoicing or voicing mismatch; keep the final /z/ voice softly and blend with the preceding /ɪ/ or /iː/.
"Her duties at the office include preparing reports and coordinating meetings."
"Teachers have a variety of duties, from grading to student counseling."
"The ceremonial duties fell to the mayor during the festival."
Pronounce it as /ˈdjuː.tiz/ in US and AU, and /ˈdjuː.tiːz/ in many UK contexts. Put primary stress on the first syllable: DU. You’ll blend the y openeing vowel with a long /uː/ and then pronounce the final /tiz/ with a light /t/ followed by /ɪz/ or /iːz/ depending on accent. Think: DYOO-teez. For natural speech, avoid a hard t release; use a quick tap and connect to the /t/ with the following /i/ or /ɪ/.” ,
Common mistakes: misplacing stress (putting it on the second syllable), rendering /dju/ as /du/ or /djuː/ inconsistently, and overemphasizing the final /s/ making it /z/ too strongly. Correction: keep primary stress on DU-, glide from /d/ to /juː/ smoothly, then use a light /t/ before the terminal /ɪz/ or /iːz/. Practice linking the /t/ to the following weak vowel to avoid a staccato /t/.
In US and Australian accents, /ˈdjuː.tiz/ with a rhotic R? No R after the vowel here; rhoticity doesn’t impact this word. US typically uses /ˈdjuː.tiz/, UK often /ˈdjuː.tiːz/ or /ˈdjuː.tiz/ depending on speaker, with a possibly longer second syllable in careful speech. AU tends toward /ˈdjuː.tiz/ with slight vowel centering; overall, the first syllable remains stressed, and the second is unstressed, but vowel length can vary.
The challenge comes from the /dʒ/ or /dj/ onset in the first syllable? Actually /djuː/ can be tricky: you combine /d/ with a high front rounded glide /j/ to form /djuː/ (like 'due'). The second syllable has a cluster /tiːz/ or /tiz/, and many non-native speakers mispronounce as /ˈduː.tiz/ with a longer vowel or misplace the t. The subtle vowel length and the linking between syllables demand controlled breath and precise tongue movement to avoid a clipped or mis-rhotic ending.
A unique feature is the potential vowel length on the second syllable in some dialects (tiːz vs tiz). In careful or British speech you might hear /ˈdjuː.tiːz/, with a longer second vowel, whereas in casual US usage it’s /ˈdjuː.tɪz/ or /ˈdjuː.tiz/. This subtle vowel duration difference affects intelligibility with phrases like 'performing duties' where rhythm and pace expose the vowel length.
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US: rhotic? No impact here. UK: mild vowel length and possible /iː/ vs /ɪ/ as final vowel. AU: tends to a slightly higher front vowel, less compression in vowels. IPA references: US /ˈdjuː.tɪz/ or /ˈdjuː.tiz/, UK /ˈdjuː.tiːz/ or /ˈdjuː.tiz/, AU /ˈdjuː.tiz/.
Duties traces to Middle English dure, from French dette? Wait, note: the word 'duty' comes from Old French doi, later from Latin debitum meaning something owed, obligation, that which is owed. The earliest senses in English center on a debt, an obligation, or a share owed in service or allegiance. In Middle English, duty evolved to mean a tax or toll and to denote the obligation attached to a position or role. The plural form 'duties' expanded to refer to all tasks or obligations of a particular person or office. By the 16th century, 'duties' also encompassed ceremonial or official responsibilities and moral obligations. Over time, the semantic range broadened to include routine tasks within jobs and the overall sense of required functions. The pronunciation settled into /ˈdjuː.tiz/ in many dialects, with variations in vowel length and rhoticity that persist today in US, UK, and AU varieties, where the first syllable carries primary stress and the second is weaker. The term remains extremely common in business, law, and governance literature, reflecting its enduring association with owed obligations and authoritative roles.
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Words that rhyme with "duties"
-ies sounds
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