2 syllables: face, s. Stress on face.
/ˈfeɪ.sɪz/
Say it backFaces refers to the plural of face, meaning the front surface of the head or someone's facial features, often performed in reference to expression or appearance. It can also function as a verb in phrases like 'to face' something, meaning to confront or deal with it. In plural noun use, it denotes multiple facial appearances or counts of people’s faces in a scene.
"The faces in the crowd stretched toward the stage."
"Her calm face betrayed no emotion."
"We counted the faces on the poster."
Phonetically, faces is pronounced /ˈfeɪ.sɪz/ in US and UK English, with primary stress on the first syllable. Start with the diphthong /eɪ/ as in 'face', followed by the 'z' voiced fricative /z/ at the end. Ensure the second syllable is unstressed and quick: /sɪz/ rather than /siz/. Lip rounding is minimal, teeth together for /f/ and then relaxed jaw for the /ɪ/ in the second syllable.
Common mistakes include reducing the first syllable to a schwa (pronouncing it as /fə-/) or making the final consonant sound too long (like /z/ blending). Another error is delaying the /z/ into an extra syllable; keep it short and attach it to the second syllable: /ˈfeɪ.sɪz/. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on vowel clarity in the first syllable and crisp, voiced /z/ in the final sound.
In US/UK/AU rhotic varieties, the initial /feɪ/ remains consistent as a front diphthong. The main variation is downstream: the final /z/ may be realized with stronger voicing in some US speakers, and in some UK regional accents, the preceding /ɪ/ can be shorter or reduced, affecting syllable timing. Australian speakers often maintain a clear /ɪ/ but can have a slightly more centralized vowel in the second syllable. Overall rhythm and stress are stable: /ˈfeɪ.sɪz/ across accents.
The difficulty often lies in balancing the two consonant clusters with a short, unstressed second syllable and producing a crisp /z/ that sounds natural after a light /ɪ/ vowel. Learners may nasalize the /ɪ/ or insert an extra syllable. Also, the voice onset and alveolar fricative need clean contact with the tongue tip near the alveolar ridge. Practicing with quick, steady tempo helps you keep the second syllable compact.
A useful tip: think of the word as two parts /feɪ/ and /sɪz/. Immediately before the /sɪz/ cluster, lightly close your jaw and relax your lips to avoid rounding that could obscure the /ɪ/. Then, end with a clear /z/. Visualize the mouth shape: a wide, relaxed mouth for /feɪ/, then a short, neutral mouth for /sɪz/.
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Faces comes from Old French face, from Latin facies meaning 'shape, form, visage'. In Middle English, face broadened to include the physical front of the head and the expression it bears. The plural faces arose as the straightforward plural of the noun, and over time, usage extended to cover faces seen in crowds or in photographs, and to the verb sense 'to face' as in confronting something. First known use in English centers around the 13th-14th centuries in texts referring to the appearance or countenance. By the 15th-16th centuries, 'face' also described the outward aspect of things (facial shape of the surface, not only the human visage). The word thus evolved from concrete physical reference to more abstract notions of outward appearance, confrontation, and exposure, paralleling shifts in other Romance-derived terms adopted into English during the medieval and early modern periods.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "faces" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "faces" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "faces"
-ces sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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