2 syllables: in, cludes. Stress on cludes.
/ˌɪnˈkludz/
Say it backIncludes is a third-person singular present tense or plural verb meaning to contain as a part of something or to comprise. In most contexts it denotes inclusion or addition. The form is pronounced with a stressed initial syllable and a final /z/ sound, and can appear as a verb or as a noun in some rare constructs (e.g., “the includes” in lists), though this is uncommon.
"The price includes taxes and fees."
"The dataset includes several rare species."
"Her responsibilities include coordinating volunteers."
Pronounce as ɪnˈkluːdz. Start with a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable, press the tongue to the alveolar ridge for /n/, then glide into the stressed /kluː/ with the high back vowel /uː/. The final /dz/ is a voiced alveolar affricate. Place your tongue high and close, then release into a quick z-sound. Stress the second syllable, and keep the /l/ light and clear before the /uː/. Audio reference: US/UK/AU share this pronunciation: ɪnˈkluːdz.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing the /l/ and swallowing the /n/ leading to ɪnkˈluːdz instead of the clear l-n sequence. 2) Dropping the final /z/ or turning it into /s/ in rapid speech. Correction: emphasize the final voiced /dz/ by keeping the tongue contacts steady and voicing through the release. 3) Reducing the /uː/ to a short /ʊ/ in unstressed speech; maintain the long vowel for clear meaning. Practice the full ipa sequence: ɪnˈkluːdz with crisp /l/ and voiced /dz/.
In US and UK accents, includes uses /ɪnˈkluːdz/ with rhoticity influencing the preceding vowel quality only minimally; both share the long /uː/ in the stressed syllable. Australian speakers often maintain the same /ɪnˈkluːdz/ pattern but may exhibit a slightly broader diphthong for /uː/ and a subtle vowel height difference. Non-rhotic vs rhotic influence is minimal here, but vowel length and tenseness can vary slightly with Australian flapping of /d/ sometimes less emphasized in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster transition from /n/ to /k/ to /l/ before the long /uː/ and then the shift to a voiced affricate /dz/. Getting the right place of articulation for /k/ (back of the tongue at the soft palate) before the /l/ can be tricky, and timing the final /dz/ release with voicing demands precise motor coordination. Practicing the sequence ɪn - ˈkluːdz helps stabilize the mouth positions and ensures the final affricate remains voiced rather than devoicing into /s/.
A unique focus is the smooth transition from the alveolar nasal /n/ to the velar /k/ and then to the lateral /l/, all before the long /uː/ and the final /dz/. The key is keeping the /l/ light and not letting the /k/ overwhelm the /l/; the /dz/ should be a quick, voiced release. Visualize kicking off the second syllable with a clear onset for /kluːdz/ and avoid reducing the /l/ sound.
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Includes comes from the verb include, itself from Old French inclure, from Latin includere, meaning to shut in, enclose, or wrap up. The Latin prefix in- means into, while late Latin includere is a combination of in- (in) and cludere (to shut). Over time, include broadened from the literal sense of placing something inside to the figurative sense of comprising or consisting of. The suffix -s in includes marks it as third-person singular present tense (he includes) or as a plural noun in rare constructions. The word's first usages appear in Middle English through borrowed Latin-French terms as scholars discussed items within a collection or list, evolving into modern usage that emphasizes containment and membership within a group or set. The shift from physical enclosure to abstract inclusion occurred gradually in legal, academic, and general prose, aligning with other include-family verbs in English. The current primary sense—to contain within a larger whole or to be a part of a set—is well established by the 18th century and remains common in everyday and technical language alike.
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Words that rhyme with "includes"
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