3 syllables: Glo, ri, fies. Stress on Glo.
GLAW-ruh-feyez
/ˈɡlɔɹəˌfaɪz/
Glorifies is pronounced GLAW-ruh-feyez (/ˈɡlɔɹəˌfaɪz/). It has three syllables (Glo-ri-fies), with the stress on "Glo". Glorifies is a verb meaning to praise or honor something highly, often elevating it in status or admiration. In use, it describes the act of highlighting virtues or achievements, sometimes with rhetorical flourish. The form shown here is the third-person singular present tense, or the base verb in other contexts, with the “-ies” ending when conjugated in third person singular.
verbGlorifies is a verb meaning to praise or honor something highly, often elevating it in status or admiration. In use, it describes the act of highlighting virtues or achievements, sometimes with rhetorical flourish. The form shown here is the third-person singular present tense, or the base verb in other contexts, with the “-ies” ending when conjugated in third person singular.
"The ceremony glorifies the volunteers who saved lives during the crisis."
"Critics glorify the city’s history in their travel pieces."
"The campaign tools glorify the product’s benefits, sometimes exaggerating them."
Glorifies is pronounced /ˈɡlɔːrɪˌfaɪz/ in US and UK English, with primary stress on GLOR- and secondary emphasis on -fies. Start with /ɡ/ as a hard g, then /l/ with the tongue touching the alveolar ridge; /ɔː/ is a long open-mid back vowel; /r/ is the rhotic approximant; follow with /ɪ/ in the second syllable; and end with /faɪz/ where /f/ bites and /aɪ/ is the long I diphthong. Keep the final /z/ voicing clear. Audio resources: see Pronounce or Forvo for native samples.
Common mistakes: 1) Dropping the /r/ in non-rhotic accents or reducing the /ɔː/ to /ɒ/; 2) Slurring the /ɡlɔːr/ into a single syllable or misplacing primary stress on the second syllable; 3) Mispronouncing the ending as /fiz/ or /faɪs/ instead of /faɪz/. Correction tips: practice the sequence /ɡ/ + /l/ + /ɔː/ + /r/ + /ɪ/ + /ˌfaɪz/, exaggerate the first syllable slightly during practice, then smooth to natural speed, and ensure voiced final /z/ is audible.
US/UK/AU share the same /ˈɡlɔːrɪˌfaɪz/ pattern, but differences exist in rhoticity and vowel quality: US tends to articulate a stronger /ɹ/ rhotic approximant and a fuller /ɔː/; UK often has a slightly clipped /ˈɡlɔː/ with less vocalic length in rapid speech; AU may merge vowel qualities and reduce vowel duration in casual speech, but keeps /ɡlɔːr/ and /faɪz/ recognizable. Listen for the vowel length in /ɔː/ and the r-coloring of /ɹ/ in stressed syllables.
The difficulty lies in the multi-morphemic assembly: the combination of /ɡ/ + /l/ + /ɔː/ + /ɹ/ + /ɪ/ + /ˌfaɪz/ with the two stressed syllables and the final voiced sibilant. Practitioners often misplace stress, or run the /ɔːr/ into a schwa, or mispronounce /faɪz/ as /fiz/. Mastery comes from isolating the sequence, practicing the /ɔː/ length and the /ɹ/ color, and ensuring the final /z/ is voiced clearly.
A unique aspect is maintaining the two-tier stress: primary stress on the first syllable (GLOR) and a secondary emphasis on the third component of the word, the -fies part in many speakers. This pattern helps distinguish it from similar forms like 'glorified' and 'glorious.' Keeping the /ɔːr/ as a prolonged cluster before the /ɪ/ helps preserve natural rhythm.
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Glorifies comes from the Latin glorificare, composed of gloria (glory) + -ficare, meaning to make or render. The root gloria refers to glory, fame, and honor, and is related to religious and ceremonial praise. The Latin verb glorificare evolved into Old French glorifier, before entering Middle English as glorifien or glorifyen variants, stabilizing in Modern English as glorify and, in the third-person singular form, glorifies. The sense broadened from literal religious glorification to general praise and celebration of achievements or attributes. First attestations appear in late Middle English writing, with the term becoming common by the 16th-17th centuries as English rhetoric and prose expanded during the Renaissance, aligning with broader Latin-based vocabulary across Europe. Over time, the word retained its core sense of elevating or praising, while its usage broadened to secular contexts such as media, politics, and everyday speech, with the -ies ending applied when inflecting for third-person singular present tense (he glorifies).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Glorifies" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Glorifies"
-ies sounds
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