3 syllables: ex, cess, es. Stress on cess.
ek-SES-iz
/ˌɛˈksɛsɪz/
excesses is pronounced ek-SES-iz (/ˌɛˈksɛsɪz/). It has three syllables (ex-cess-es), with the stress on "cess". Excesses refers to plural instances of excess: amounts beyond what is normal or necessary. The term captures multiple departures from a limit, often implying waste or overindulgence. It can describe quantities, behaviors, or demands that exceed what is appropriate or healthy, frequently used in formal or analytical discussion.
Excesses refers to plural instances of excess: amounts beyond what is normal or necessary. The term captures multiple departures from a limit, often implying waste or overindulgence. It can describe quantities, behaviors, or demands that exceed what is appropriate or healthy, frequently used in formal or analytical discussion.
- You’ll often mispronounce as two syllables (ex-cess) or drop the final -es to /z/ too early; ensure three segments: EK + SES + iz. - In fast speech, the middle vowel may reduce toward /ə/; maintain a crisp /ɪ/ to keep the second syllable distinct. - Some speakers fuse /k/ and /s/ into /ks/ too aggressively; keep clear boundary between /k/ and /s/ using brief breath or light pause.
"The book discusses the excesses of consumer culture and its environmental impact."
"Public officials argued for curbing government spending to prevent excesses that burden taxpayers."
"He warned against dietary excesses, especially in processed foods."
Pronounce as /ˈekˌsesɪz/ for US/UK. The first syllable carries primary stress, while the middle -cess- is light but clear, and the ending -es is a voiced z sound. In careful speech you’ll hear three segments: EK-SES-siz, with a slight separation between EK- and SES. Listen to the rhythm: a strong initial beat, then a lighter second syllable, quickly followed by -iz.
Common errors: 1) Reducing to two syllables, "exsess-es". 2) Misplacing stress, saying /ˈekˈsesɪz/ or /ˈɛkˌsɛsɪz/ with offbeat stress. 3) Slurring the second syllable, producing /ˈekˌsɛz/ and losing the /ɪ/ before z. Correction: emphasize the middle syllable with a light but audible /ɪ/ and keep the final /z/ fully voiced: /ˈekˌsesɪz/.
US tends to clear /ɛ/ in the first syllable and a pronounced /ɪ/ in the third segment; UK often yields a slightly closer /e/ in the middle and crisper final /z/. Australian may reduce the second vowel more, making /ˈekˌsesɪz/ with a softer /ɪ/ and a more centralized vowel in the second syllable. All retain stress on the first syllable and final /z/.
Because it blends a stressed disyllabic onset with a unstressed middle and a final voiced consonant, requiring precise vowel distinctions in the middle syllable: /ˈek/ + /ses/ + /ɪz/. The sequence /sə/ can reduce to /sɪ/ in fast speech, which risks mispronouncing as /ɪz/. The main challenge is controlling vowel quality and maintaining even, distinct syllables through the tri-syllabic sequence.
Is the middle syllable fully pronounced in rapid speech, or can it reduce to a schwa? In careful speech you’ll articulate /ˈekˌsesɪz/, but in fast discourse many native speakers reduce the /ɪ/ toward a lighter /ɪ/ or /ə/ depending on accent. Aim for a consistent /ɪ/ in the third segment to preserve the -es- identity.
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Excesses comes from the French Excess and Latin excedere, meaning to go outside or beyond. The root excedere combines ex- (out) + cedere (to go, yield). In English, excess (singular) appeared by the 15th century, borrowed from Old French excedz, ultimately from Latin excedere. The plural suffix -es was regularized in early modern English to form excesses. The meaning evolved from simply “going beyond” to the more specific sense of going beyond what is necessary or reasonable, often in quantity or degree. In statistical and economic discourse, excesses gained prominence as a technical term describing surplus relative to a baseline. The word’s usage broadened from abstract notions of surpassing a limit to concrete descriptions of wasteful or extreme behavior, placing it commonly in formal writing, policy analysis, and social critique. In contemporary usage, excesses can refer to financial, dietary, environmental, or cultural excesses, always carrying a nuance of critique toward the excess itself rather than the concept of excess as such. The first known uses in English appear in the late Middle Ages, with evolving spellings reflecting evolving French influence and Latin roots, ultimately stabilizing in modern spelling as excesses.
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Words that rhyme with "excesses"
-ses sounds
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