One syllable: heads.
hedz
/hɛdz/
heads is pronounced hedz (/hɛdz/). It has one syllable (heads), with the stress on "heads". Heads refers to the plural form of head, meaning the upper part of the body containing the brain, face, and sensory organs, or a container’s top surface. It can also function as a verb in nautical and computing contexts (to lead, to head toward). In everyday use, it denotes a direction, leadership, or the top surface of an object. Context determines whether it’s plural noun or verb.
Heads refers to the plural form of head, meaning the upper part of the body containing the brain, face, and sensory organs, or a container’s top surface. It can also function as a verb in nautical and computing contexts (to lead, to head toward). In everyday use, it denotes a direction, leadership, or the top surface of an object. Context determines whether it’s plural noun or verb.
"The heads of the team met to plan the project."
"She nodded toward the heads of the street, then continued walking."
"Coins typically have heads on one side."
Pronounce as /hɛdz/ (US) or /hɛdz/ (UK/AU). Start with a short, relaxed /h/ burst, then the open-mid front lax vowel /ɛ/ as in “bed,” followed by a voiced alveolar sibilant /z/. The /d/ is a brief stop before the final /z/. In connected speech, you may hear a subtle de-voicing of /d/ before a redup of /z/, but the standard is /hɛdz/. Practice by linking /h/ + /ɛ/ + /d/ + /z/ in one smooth movement. Tip: keep your tongue low-mid and avoid tensing the jaw.IPA: US/UK/AU: hɛdz
Two common errors are: (1) pronouncing the final sound as /d/ or /t/ instead of the voiced /z/; this makes it sound like ‘hed’ or ‘hedz’ with a crisp stop. Correction: land the /d/ briefly, then voice the /z/ without a separate stop. (2) Lengthening the vowel or over-aspirating the /h/; keep /h/ light and short, so the sequence is h-ɛ-d-z with a quick transition. Practice saying /hɛdz/ repeatedly at a natural pace, then in phrase contexts. Remember to voice the final consonant so it sounds like a z, not an s or t. IPA: /hɛdz/.
In all three accents, the core /h/ + /ɛ/ + /d/ + /z/ structure remains, but small differences appear. US and UK generally keep a clear /h/ and a voiced final /z/; Australians often have slightly more relaxed vowel quality, with a marginally centralized /ɛ/ and faster rhythm. The rhotics don’t affect this word much since there is no /r/. In rapid connected speech, you may hear /ˈhɛdz/ with reduced vowel length in casual UK speech; US accents may have a marginally fronted vowel. Overall, the articulation is similar, with tiny vowel shifts and fluency differences across regions. IPA: /hɛdz/ for all three, with subtle vowel quality shifts.
The challenge lies in the final /dz/ sequence: you’re moving from a voiced alveolar plosive /d/ into a voiced alveolar fricative /z/ in one quick motion, which can blur into a single affricate or a prolonged /d/ or /z/. Also, the vowel /ɛ/ sits in a short, tense position between /h/ and the consonants, so any rushing can hurt the crispness. The sandwiched /h/ at the start requires breath control so the /h/ is audible but not breathy. Focusing on a clean /h/ + /ɛ/ + /d/ + /z/ transition helps resolve these issues.
A distinctive aspect is the final /dz/ cluster that results from voicing of the /d/ into the /z/. This requires maintaining voicing across the boundary without inserting extra voiceless sounds. In careful speech, you’ll hear a tiny delay between /d/ release and /z/ voicing; in fast speech, it can blur toward a single /z/ or an elongated /d/. Focusing on keeping the /d/ brief but voiced before the /z/ will preserve the correct cluster. IPA: /hɛdz/.
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The word heads derives from Old English heafod, related to the Proto-Germanic *haubudaz, and is cognate with Dutch hoofd and German Kopf, reflecting a common Germanic root for the head as a body part. The term appears in Old English as heafod, denoting the uppermost part of the body, internally linked to leadership and beginning. Over time, the pluralized noun heads broadened to include the plural reference to multiple individuals who lead, as in “heads of departments.” The verb sense, “to head,” meaning to lead or to go in a direction, emerged by the Middle English period, drawing metaphorical extension from the anatomical sense (the head as the source or leader). In nautical and shipping contexts, “to head” describes steering a vessel toward a destination, a usage preserved in phrases like “head north.” The modern usage in computing and everyday language as a place to begin or main surface maintains this body-root metaphor even when applied abstractly (head of the table, head of state). The term has remained productive in both singular and plural forms, with “heads” serving as a common noun, a person in leadership roles, or the top surfaces of objects. First known written attestations appear in late Old English texts, with “head” as the core form; the plural “heads” is well established in Middle English literature and legal documents, reflecting ongoing expansion of usage in organizational and physical descriptions. The word thus encapsulates a core human anatomical concept and extends into leadership, direction, and top surfaces across centuries of English use.
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Words that rhyme with "heads"
-eds sounds
-ads sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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