One syllable: gays.
gayz
/ɡeɪz/
gays is pronounced gayz (/ɡeɪz/). It has one syllable (gays), with the stress on "gays". Gays is the plural of gay, referring to men who are romantically and sexually attracted to other men, or, more broadly, to people who identify as gay. In everyday use it can describe a group or culture of openly LGBTQ+ individuals. The term also appears in discussions of rights, representation, or social topics related to homosexuality.
Gays is the plural of gay, referring to men who are romantically and sexually attracted to other men, or, more broadly, to people who identify as gay. In everyday use it can describe a group or culture of openly LGBTQ+ individuals. The term also appears in discussions of rights, representation, or social topics related to homosexuality.
- You commonly mispronounce final /z/ as /s/ or devoice it, especially in careful speech. Ensure you voice the final consonant and keep your teeth light together to vibrate the vocal folds. - The /eɪ/ diphthong can be shortened to a pure /e/ or /ɛ/ sound in rapid speech. Practice the glide from /e/ to /ɪ/ to maintain the correct vowel quality. - In connected speech, you might merge the /ɡ/ and the /eɪ/ leading cluster; keep the /g/ release crisp before the glide. - Another error is adding an extra syllable or lag in the vowel; aim for tight articulation with a clean one-syllable /ɡeɪz/.
"The event welcomed gays and lesbians from across the city."
"He has friends who are openly gay and very supportive."
"Several gays in the community organized a fundraiser."
Pronounce it as /ɡeɪz/ with a long A as in 'gain' and a voiced Z at the end. The S is voiced to a z-sound due to final voicing in /z/. Place the tongue high and forward for the /eɪ/ diphthong (start mid-front, glide to high-front). Final lips remain relaxed. IPA: /ɡeɪz/. Mouth positions: start with a closed or near-closed front vowel then glide to a mid-high position before vibrating the vocal folds for /z/; end with a relaxed jaw. Audio reference: you’ll hear /ɡeɪz/ in standard accents by saying “gay” then add a z-sound—like “gay-z.”
Common errors: (1) mispronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ (say /geɪs/ instead of /ɡeɪz/). (2) Shortening the /eɪ/ to a pure /e/ or /ɛ/ sound. (3) Voicing the final consonant inconsistently in rapid speech. Corrections: ensure the final sound is voiced /z/ with steady, audible vibration; use the full /eɪ/ diphthong by starting with /e/ and gliding to /ɪ/ before the /z/; keep the tongue blade close to the alveolar ridge while voicing the /z/.”
In US/UK/AU, /ɡeɪz/ remains similar, but rhoticity affects surrounding vowels in connected speech. US English often has a more pronounced /ɪ/ quality in rapid speech and more flapped or reduced vowels elsewhere, while UK English keeps tighter articulation and less vowel reduction in some dialects. Australian English tends to have a slightly taller lips and a more centralized vowel space for /eɪ/. In all three, the final /z/ is voiced; differences show primarily in preceding vowel length and vowel quality due to accent. IPA remains /ɡeɪz/ across varieties.
The difficulty lies in the final voiced /z/ following a diphthong. The /eɪ/ diphthong requires a smooth glide, and many speakers either shorten it or insert a sibilant. There is also potential confusion with the unvoiced /s/ in some dialects; you must keep voicing for /z/ and avoid devoicing in rapid speech. Practice sustaining the /z/ with a gentle airflow and ensure the mouth maintains the front-high position through the glide. IPA: /ɡeɪz/.
The word 'gays' is a single-syllable word with primary stress on the first (and only) syllable. In connected speech, the preceding content words can influence its rhythm, but the word itself remains a quick one-syllable unit. When pronounced in isolation, you’ll keep /ɡeɪz/ with the /eɪ/ diphthong formed by a steady glide from /e/ to /ɪ/, then the voiced /z/.
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- US: Rhotic speech spaces can affect preceding vowels; keep the /ɡ/ release sharp, and allow /eɪ/ to glide smoothly before /z/. - UK: Slightly tighter vowel space; ensure the /eɪ/ does not drift toward /aɪ/; keep lips neutral or slightly spread. - AU: More centralized vowel nativization; focus on maintaining the /eɪ/ diphthong without extreme vowel raising; keep /z/ voiced and crisp.
Gay originates from the Old French gai, meaning joyful or happy, which entered English in the 14th century with the sense of merriment. In Early Modern English, gai also signified lightheartedness and showiness. By the 17th–18th centuries, gai began to denote behavior associated with pleasure-seeking in a more general sense. The modern sexual connotation of gay emerged in the late 19th to early 20th century, culminating in the 20th century as a self-identifier for men attracted to men, and later broadened to include broader LGBTQ+ populations. The transition from “carefree” to a marker of sexual orientation reflects shifts in social attitudes and the medicalization of homosexuality, followed by reclamation and visibility movements in the 1960s onward.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "gays" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "gays"
-ays sounds
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