One syllable: helps.
helps
/hɛlps/
helps is pronounced helps (/hɛlps/). It has one syllable (helps), with the stress on "helps". Helps is a third-person singular present tense of help, meaning to provide assistance or support. In practical use, it denotes offering aid or resources to someone, or contributing to a result. It is a short, common verb form used across many registers, from casual conversation to formal writing, and often appears with nouns describing assistance or actions taken to improve a situation.
Helps is a third-person singular present tense of help, meaning to provide assistance or support. In practical use, it denotes offering aid or resources to someone, or contributing to a result. It is a short, common verb form used across many registers, from casual conversation to formal writing, and often appears with nouns describing assistance or actions taken to improve a situation.
"She helps her younger brother with his homework every evening."
"The charity helps families in need by providing food and clothing."
"This app helps you track your daily habits more efficiently."
Pronounce as two sounds: /h/ + /ɛ/ + /l/ + /p/ + /z/ in most dialects. The word is one syllable with a short e vowel: /hɛlps/. The final /s/ is voiced in many accents when followed by a vowel, but here the final sound is a voiceless /z/ due to the preceding /p/ causing voicing assimilation. Place the tongue for /h/ and /ɛ/ with a relaxed jaw, then lift the tip to touch the alveolar ridge for /l/, and release into a quick /p/ followed by a lightly voiced /z/. See audio references for precise timing.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing it as /hɛlp/ without the final /z/, leaving off the plural ending; (2) Voicing the final /s/ too much, producing /s/ instead of its usual final /z/ assimilation after /p/; (3) Overemphasizing the /e/ making it /hiːlps/. Correction: keep the vowel short /ɛ/ and ensure the final phoneme is a voiced /z/ due to the following context; practice with minimal pair /hɛlps/ vs /hɛlp/ in phrases to feel the difference. Use a quick transition from /p/ to /z/ without delaying the vocal fold vibration.
In US/UK/AU, the initial cluster /hɛl/ is consistent, but the final /z/ can vary: US tends to vocalize a short, crisp /z/ after /p/; UK may have a slightly less velar release and a sharper, crisper /z/ due to tensing. Australian may reduce a slightly more centralized vowel before /l/, but /z/ remains voiceless or lightly voiced depending on surrounding vowels. Overall, the vowel /e/ remains short; the main differences emerge in vowel quality and the presence/voicing of the final fricative across dialects.
The difficulty lies in the final cluster /lps/ where the /l/ blends into a /p/ and a voiceless/voiced distinction for the final fricative. The transition must be rapid and the voice onset of /z/ should be smooth despite the abrupt stop of /p/. Beginners often drop the /z/ or insert a vowel between /p/ and /z/. Focus on a quick, uninterrupted glide from /l/ into /p/ and then maintain a small amount of voicing for /z/ to realize the final consonant.
Yes, the word ends with a z-like fricative after a plosive, which often leads to a quick voicing feature in connected speech. You’ll hear a brief voicing on the /z/ when followed by a vowel in fluent speech, and a more clipped ending in careful speech. The tip is to keep the /z/ slightly voiced but not prolong it—think of it as a light, quick end to a one-syllable word. Use this nuance to keep your delivery natural.
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The verb helps derives from Old English helpan, meaning to aid or assist, with cognates across Germanic languages. The Proto-Germanic root *helpjanan- or *hilpan- signified to aid or support, and it is related to the noun help, which historically denoted aid or assistance as well. By Middle English, helps appeared as the third-person singular present tense form of help, aligning with the regular -s ending for third-person singular verbs. The word expanded in usage through the influence of Latin-based clerical and scholastic traditions that emphasized assistance and facilitation across various domains, including charitable and civic contexts. Over centuries, its semantic field broadened from concrete physical aid to include more abstract forms of support, such as helping a process, a project, or a decision. Today, helps remains a high-frequency verb in everyday English, retaining its core sense of providing assistance while functioning flexibly in transitive constructions (helps someone with something) and in broader idiomatic expressions (helps out, helps to). Its evolution mirrors the general trajectory of English verbs: a strong, action-oriented root with a productive -s inflection for subject-verb agreement, adapted across dialects without major semantic shifts. First known use in written English traces to early medieval texts, with the sense of aiding appearing consistently in religious, communal, and legal contexts as a basic, universal action.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "helps" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "helps"
-lps sounds
-ves sounds
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