One syllable: grease.
grees
/ɡɹis/
grease is pronounced grees (/ɡɹis/). It has one syllable (grease), with the stress on "grease". Grease is a thick, oily substance used to lubricate or a term for fat or oil on surfaces. In everyday use, it refers to cooking fat or the act of greasing machinery, and can also describe slick or unscrupulous behavior in informal contexts. The word carries a culinary, mechanical, and colloquial sense depending on context.
Grease is a thick, oily substance used to lubricate or a term for fat or oil on surfaces. In everyday use, it refers to cooking fat or the act of greasing machinery, and can also describe slick or unscrupulous behavior in informal contexts. The word carries a culinary, mechanical, and colloquial sense depending on context.
- You may accent the word as two syllables (gre-ease). Keep it as a tight, single syllable with a long /iː/ vowel. - Many learners soften the /iː/ to a short /ɪ/ in rapid speech; practice holding the long vowel with a relaxed jaw. - The final /s/ can be too voiceless or too voiced; aim for a crisp /s/ with a light release, not an /z/ sound. - Sometimes the /r/ is overpronounced; in non-rhotic accents, keep the /r/ subtle or unused; focus on the /ɡ/ onset and /iː/ nucleus. - Lastly, avoid inserting a vowel between /g/ and /riː/; say /ɡriːs/ smoothly without extra vowels.
"She used a bit of grease to grease the hinge and quiet the squeak."
"The car engine needs grease to reduce friction between moving parts."
"Grease the pan before pouring in the batter to prevent sticking."
Pronounce it as /ɡriːs/. Start with a hard /ɡ/ followed by /r/ with the tongue close to the alveolar ridge, then a long /iː/ as in 'see,' and finish with a voiceless /s/ before a light release. Stress is on the single syllable, with a steady, prolonged /iː/ vowel. In careful speech, avoid inserting a vowel between /g/ and /r/. You can think of saying 'gree-s' quickly, like the word 'green' but ending with /s/.
Common mistakes include pronouncing it as two syllables (gre-ease) or rolling the /r/ too much, which softens the crisp stop before the vowel. Another error is weakening the /iː/ to a short vowel like /ɪ/ in fast speech, and adding an extra vowel sound after the /s/. Correct by maintaining a single, clear /ɡ/ onset, a compact /riː/ nucleus, and a clean /s/ finale. Practicing with minimal pairs helps solidify the single-syllable rhythm.
In US and UK, /ɡriːs/ is very similar with a non-rhotic or rhotic slight variation depending on the speaker. US tends toward a rhotic, but the /r/ is often light or non-velar. UK tends to a clear /r/ in some accents but not others; the /iː/ remains long. Australian typically follows US patterns with a slight shorter vowel, and the /r/ may be less prominent due to non-rhotic tendencies in many speech communities. The main variation is the rhotic realization and vowel length.
Grease challenges include balancing a single, compact nucleus /iː/ with a crisp boundary before /s/, and ensuring the /g/ is released cleanly without an extra vowel. Some speakers insert a schwa between /g/ and /riː/ or before /s/ in rapid speech, which weakens the word. The tongue must move quickly from the alveolar ridge for /r/ to the alveolar crest for /iː/ tense vowel, then release into /s/. Keeping a tight, flat jaw helps maintain the one-syllable rhythm.
No silent letters in grease. The word is pronounced as one syllable /ɡriːs/. The letters g, r, i, and s all participate in the phonetic sequence, with the /g/ onset, /r/ approximant, /iː/ vowel nucleus, and /s/ coda. Some speakers may reduce the /r/ in non-rhotic accents, making the /r/ less audible, but it is not silent. Emphasize clean onset and steady nucleus for clarity.
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- US: Rhotic pronunciation may produce a slightly more pronounced /r/ after the /ɡ/. Keep /ɡr/ tight and move quickly into /iː/. - UK: In many accents, /r/ is non-rhotic; the /r/ is less audible, so you’ll hear /ɡriːs/ with a shorter /r/ cue. Focus on the smooth transition from /ɡ/ to /riː/ without an epenthetic vowel. - AU: Similar to US but with often more relaxed vowel quality; maintain the long /iː/ and crisp /s/; the /r/ is less emphasized in many dialects. - IPA references: US /ɡriːs/, UK /ɡriːs/, AU /ɡɹiːs/; keep the nucleus stable and avoid vowel reduction.
Grease originated in Middle English as greisse or grys, from the Old English graese, meaning fat or oil rendered from meat. The semantic core relates to animal fat used for lubrication and cooking. The root is linked to Proto-Germanic *graisaną, implying rubbing or laceration, but the precise lineage is debated due to overlapping culinary and lubricant usages. By the 14th century, grease referred primarily to rendered animal fat used in cooking and as a lubricant in machinery. Over time, the sense broadened to include any viscous oily substance, including synthetic varieties in modern contexts. The word’s evolution mirrors industrial and culinary development: early kitchens and windmills depended on greases for activity, while later mechanical engineering and automotive maintenance popularized the term in technical registers. First known written uses appear in technical and domestic texts of medieval and early modern Europe, reflecting routine handling of animal fats in daily life and industry.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "grease" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "grease" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "grease"
-ece sounds
-ase sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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