One syllable: False.
fawls
/fɔls/
False is pronounced fawls (/fɔls/). It has one syllable (False), with the stress on "False". False is an adjective meaning not true or correct, often used to describe statements, beliefs, or impressions that are misleading or fabricated. It can also imply a deliberate distortion or incautious belief that misrepresents reality. In everyday usage, it contrasts with true or genuine, signaling unreliability or inaccuracy in information or perception.
adjectiveFalse is an adjective meaning not true or correct, often used to describe statements, beliefs, or impressions that are misleading or fabricated. It can also imply a deliberate distortion or incautious belief that misrepresents reality. In everyday usage, it contrasts with true or genuine, signaling unreliability or inaccuracy in information or perception.
- Common challenge: length and quality of the /ɔː/ vowel. If you shorten it to /ɔ/ or /ɒ/, the word becomes less distinct and may confuse listeners who expect the long vowel. Correction: keep the tongue high-mid back and jaw open enough for /ɔː/, allow slight lip rounding, and avoid tensing the jaw. - Final cluster /ls/ can merge. Mistakes: /l/ and /s/ blend into a single alveolar sound or the /l/ becomes a vowel-like light /l/ shadow. Correction: separate articulations—soft /l/ with tip on alveolar ridge, then crisp /s/ with narrow contact and strong airstream. - Final consonant aspiration. Some learners voice the final /s/ or add extra post-consonantal voicing, producing /z/ or a longer release. Correction: ensure /s/ is voiceless, with a clear airstream and no voicing until after the hiss ends.
"Her testimony turned out to be false when new evidence emerged."
"The alarm was raised by a false rumor that spread quickly."
"He gave a false impression about his qualifications."
Pronunciation is /fɔːls/ in US/UK/AU. Start with /f/ as a bilabial fricative, drop the jaw to an open-mid back vowel /ɔː/, then end with /ls/ where the tongue lightly closes at the alveolar ridge for an /l/ and a crisp /s/. The primary stress is on the first (and only) syllable: FAWLS. In connected speech you may hear a slight vowel lengthening before the final consonant cluster. Audio reference: listen to /fɔːls/ in standard dictionaries or Pronounce resources.
Common mistakes include pronouncing it as /fæls/ with an open fronted /æ/ as in cat, which shortens the vowel and shifts tongue position; and pronouncing /fɒls/ with British short /ɒ/ instead of /ɔː/. To correct, keep the mouth more open and the tongue relaxed in the back of the mouth for /ɔː/, ensuring the /l/ is light and the /s/ is crisp. Avoid turning the final /l/ into a flap in careful speech.
In US and UK, /ɔː/ remains a long back rounded vowel, but rhoticity affects the following vowel quality in connected speech; US speakers may produce a slightly tenser /ɔː/ and a more pronounced /r/ in linked speech if followed by a vowel, while UK tends to a purer /ɔː/ with non-rhotic tendencies in careful speech. Australian tends toward /ɔː/ with a more centralized or drawn-out vowel depending on regional accent. The final /ls/ cluster stays relatively consistent across accents.
The difficulty primarily lies in the long back /ɔː/ vowel and the consonant cluster /ls/ after a tense vowel. Learners often shorten /ɔː/ to /ɔ/ or /ɒ/, or insert a schwa before /l/, which blunts the word’s rhythm. Additionally, many non-native speakers articulate a voiced start or misplace the tongue for /l/ and the sibilant /s/. Focus on keeping the long back vowel steady and the /l/ and /s/ crisp.
Is the 's' in 'false' always voiceless in every context? In standard pronunciation, the /s/ at the end of /fɔːls/ is voiceless, as in most English words ending with /s/ or /z/ depending on the preceding sound. In rapid connected speech, you may hear a devoiced or even partially assimilated /s/ if followed by a voiceless consonant, but in isolation and careful speech it remains a crisp voiceless /s/.
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- US: rhotic tendencies may give a hint of /ɹ/ following the vowel in connected speech when next word begins with a consonant, but /fɔːl/ remains non-rhotic in careful speech. Vowel tends to be a tense, longer /ɔː/ with minimal lip rounding. - UK: typically non-rhotic; /ɔː/ is a pure monophthong in careful speech. The /l/ is light and clear, with less vowel length compromise. - AU: /ɔː/ can be more centralized and slightly more lax; some regions approach /ɒ/ depending on vowel shift. Retain crisp /l/ and /s/; ensure non-rhotic linkages remain natural. IPA references: /fɔːls/ for all three, with subtle vowel quality shifts noted above.
False comes from the Latin falsus, meaning 'deceived or existing in error,' formed from fallere, meaning 'to deceive or mislead.' The Middle English adoption became fals, with the sense of deceptive or untrue gradually narrowing to describe statements or beliefs rather than people. By the 14th century, false was used to denote something not in accordance with fact or reality, often implying intentional or negligent deception. The core meaning of not being true persisted, while collateral senses, such as counterfeit or sham, emerged in legal and everyday language as trade and social interactions became more complex. Over centuries, false retained its core semantically negative stance—something that strays from truth—while phonetic pronunciation shifted slightly in various dialects, yet the essential root connected to deception and inaccuracy remains evident in modern usage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "False" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "False" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "False"
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