2 syllables: Ex, hausts. Stress on hausts.
ig-ZAWSTS
/ɪˈɡzɔsts/
Exhausts is pronounced ig-ZAWSTS (/ɪˈɡzɔsts/). It has two syllables (Ex-hausts), with the stress on "hausts". Exhausts is a verb meaning to use up or expend completely, often referring to resources, energy, or patience. It can also mean causes someone to become extremely tired or drained. In present tense it functions as a third-person singular form (exhausts) and in plural as a past tense form (they exhausts is not standard; instead, 'they exhaust' or 'they exhausted' are used depending on tense). More commonly, it appears as 'exhausts' in he/she/it exhausts.
verbExhausts is a verb meaning to use up or expend completely, often referring to resources, energy, or patience. It can also mean causes someone to become extremely tired or drained. In present tense it functions as a third-person singular form (exhausts) and in plural as a past tense form (they exhausts is not standard; instead, 'they exhaust' or 'they exhausted' are used depending on tense). More commonly, it appears as 'exhausts' in he/she/it exhausts.
- You might say /ɪɡˈzɔːs/ or drop the /t/; ensure the final /ts/ is crisp. - You might misplace stress on the first syllable; fix by emphasizing the second syllable: ig- ZAUSTS. - Confusion between /z/ voice and /s/ unvoiced; keep the /z/ voice for the second syllable. - Vowel length: ensure /ɔː/ is long and clear, not a short /ɔ/.
How to Pronounce Exhausts
"The long hike exhausts even the fittest performers."
"Poor planning exhausts the team's energy over time."
"The constant noise exhausts my patience."
Pronounce as /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/ (US/UK) with first syllable reduced? Actually: /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/ where ex- is /ɪɡ/ or and stress on the second syllable; the -outs cluster yields /ɔː/ with long a sound. The ending /sts/ is crisp, with /s/ followed by /t/ quickly. In careful speech, you’ll hear HEad-syllable “ig-ZAUSTS” with the second syllable stressed; ensure the vowel in the second syllable is long and unrounded. Audio reference: imagine saying “eg-ZAUSTS” with a brief pause after the first consonant cluster.” ,
Two frequent errors: (1) mixing the /z/ with a /s/ sound and producing /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/ with a weak /z/; ensure the /z/ is voiced. (2) Misplacing stress: some speakers put the stress on the first syllable; correct is on the second: /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/. To fix, practice saying ig-ZAUSTS with a clear vibrated z and a strong /ɔː/ vowel. Also avoid devoicing the final /t/; keep it subtle but audible.
US: /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/ with a rhotic axiom? The /ɡ/ is pronounced, /z/ voiced, /ɔː/ long. UK: similar /ɪˈzɔːsts/ but more clipped final cluster; non-rhotic influence may alter the preceding vowel length; AU: often a slightly flatter vowel length and less pronounced /t/; ensure the final /t/ remains audible. Across accents, the key is stress on the second syllable and the /ɔː/ as a long vowel.
Difficulty centers on the stressed second syllable and the /ɔː/ vowel that can vary by speaker; the cluster /ɡz/ requires precise voicing and the /t/ + /s/ sequence can sound like a single /sts/; some learners reduce the /z/ to a /s/ or add extra syllables. Practice focusing on the cadence: ig-ZAUSTS, with crisp /z/ and an audible final /t/ before /s/.
There are no silent letters in exhausts; all letters participate in the pronunciation: the - Exhausts is pronounced with a clear /ɡ/, /z/ and final /ts/. The typical challenge is the secondary stress pattern and maintaining rhoticity where applicable. Ensure each sound is articulated: /ɪ/ in the first syllable, /ɡ/ as a hard /g/, /z/ voiced, /ɔː/ long, and final /sts/.
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- US: stress and longer /ɔː/; pronouncing the /ɡz/ as a single onset cluster with a voiced z is crucial. - UK: slight vowel shortening; keep the /ɔː/ long but with a clipped final /sts/. - AU: more relaxed intake and often weaker final /t/; practice with a crisp /t/ to avoid silent endings. Refer to IPA: /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/ (US/UK/AU).
Exhausts derives from the Old French exhauster, from Latin exhaurire, meaning to drain or exhaust, formed from ex- (out) + haurire (to drain, draw up). In Middle English, exhausten appeared, then later evolved in the 16th–17th centuries into the modern verb exhaust with the sense of draining resources or energy. The noun exhaust (as in a pipe) also influenced the verb through metaphorical extension: to push to the limit as if speakers’ energy is vented away. The form -s in exhausts is the third-person singular present tense marker in English (he exhausts). The sense ‘to drain (someone of energy)’ broadens in modern usage to include non-physical exhaustion, including mental or administrative drains. Today, exhausts appears primarily in contexts discussing depletion of resources, fatigue, or mechanisms that vent gases (as a noun, ‘exhausts’ can refer to multiple exhaust pipes; as a verb, it’s third-person singular). First known uses appear in early modern English medical and engineering contexts, where the idea of draining or using up power or fuel was common. Over time, the verb expanded to everyday usage, conveying both literal and figurative depletion across various domains.
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Words that rhyme with "Exhausts"
-sts sounds
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