2 syllables: La, ches. Stress on La.
LAY-chiz
/ˈleɪtʃɪz/
Laches is pronounced LAY-chiz (/ˈleɪtʃɪz/). It has two syllables (La-ches), with the stress on "La". Laches is a plural noun meaning delays or failures to act; historically it also refers to a legal defense based on inaction. In common use, it denotes procrastination or hesitation, sometimes with a legal connotation. The term appears in phrases like "laches defense" and carries a formal, sometimes archaic tone.
nounLaches is a plural noun meaning delays or failures to act; historically it also refers to a legal defense based on inaction. In common use, it denotes procrastination or hesitation, sometimes with a legal connotation. The term appears in phrases like "laches defense" and carries a formal, sometimes archaic tone.
- You’ll often hear learners split the /tʃ/ into /t/ + /ʃ/, producing lah-tesh-iz. Fix by guiding your tongue into the /tʃ/ blend in one quick movement without breaking it. - Under-projection of the final /z/ leads to a subtle /s/ or devoiced end; ensure the vocal folds vibrate for /z/. - Stress shift: some say la-CHES with stress on second syllable; keep primary stress on the first: /ˈleɪtʃɪz/. - Vowel quantity: avoid reducing /eɪ/ to a short /e/; keep the long diphthong through the first syllable. - Final consonant voicing: in rapid speech, the /z/ can be overshadowed by following voiceless consonants; keep the vibratory endpoint clear for accuracy.
"The plaintiff argued the case should be dismissed due to laches."
"An accusation of laches was noted in their failure to file the paperwork on time."
"The court rejected the motion, citing laches as a lack of timely action."
Pronounce as LAH-CH-iz with primary stress on LA. IPA: /ˈleɪtʃɪz/. The /leɪ/ is a long A as in 'face,' followed by /tʃ/ (the ch in 'cheese'), then the schwa-like /ɪ/ reduced to a short 'ih' sound before the final /z/. Keep the /tʃ/ cluster intact without inserting an extra vowel. Listen for the single syllable boundary between LA- and CHES, so you don’t say ‘la-tches’ with a separate ‘t’ sound.
Two common errors: 1) Saying 'latches' with a hard 't' split, as in LAH-TEE-CHES; fix by merging the /t/ and /ʃ/ into /tʃ/ without inserting a vowel. 2) Misplacing stress, pronouncing it as la-ches with the second syllable stressed; fix by stressing the first syllable: /ˈleɪtʃɪz/. Also watch for inaccurate final /z/ voicing if the following sound is voiceless; keep final /z/ clear.
In US/UK/AU, the initial vowel is /eɪ/ in all, with stress on the first syllable: /ˈleɪtʃɪz/. The rhoticity doesn’t affect the /eɪ/ or /tʃ/ segments. In non-rhotic accents, the final /z/ remains voiced; vowel quality around /ɪ/ can be slightly more centralized in some UK varieties. The AU accent tends to be similar to US in this word, with subtle differences in vowel merging in fast speech, but the essential /ˈleɪtʃɪz/ remains consistent.
The difficulty lies in the /tʃ/ cluster immediately after the long diphthong /eɪ/, so you need to glide from /eɪ/ into /tʃ/ without inserting an extra vowel: /leɪtʃ/. Then end with /ɪz/; ensure voicing of the final /z/. Some speakers mis-handle the transition, producing /leɪˈtætʃɪz/ or /ˈlæ-tʃɪz/. Practice the sequence /eɪ/ + /tʃ/ as a single unit, and keep the final /z/ loud but crisp.
Yes, the letter combination 'tch' forms a single affricate sound /tʃ/. The sequence is not /t/ + /ʃ/ but the voiced/unvoiced /t͡ʃ/ combination. The correct mouth position is a tight front tongue contact for /t/ followed quickly by a palato-alveolar fricative release into /ʃ/ within the same gesture, resulting in /tʃ/ and then the /ɪz/ ending. Keep the jaw relatively closed through /tʃ/ to avoid breaking the cluster.
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- US: rhotic and clearer vowel quality; maintain /eɪ/ as a full diphthong; /z/ maintained with voiced approximation. - UK: typically non-rhotic; maintain /ˈleɪtʃɪz/ with crisp /tʃ/; ensure vowel timing aligns with British fast speech. - AU: generally similar to US, with slight front laxness in /ɪ/; keep tense mouth position through final /ɪz/; ensure no vowel reduction during fast repetition. - IPA anchors: /ˈleɪtʃɪz/; keep lips rounded slightly for /eɪ/ transition; keep tongue high for /tʃ/ release; avoid flipping to /leɪ-ɪtʃɪz/.
Laches originates from the Latin lacēs, from lacere meaning to loosen or slacken, and is connected to the Old French lachesse before entering English legal and literary usage. The term appears in medieval Latin as laches, then in Anglo-Norman law and literature with the sense of delay or failure to act. In English, laches developed a specialized legal meaning: the defense that a plaintiff has slept on rights or failed to pursue a claim within a reasonable time, especially when the delay prejudices the defendant. The modern word expanded beyond strictly legal discourse to general use, maintaining its sense of inaction or procrastination. First known English attestations date from the 16th-17th centuries, though legal usages may be attested earlier in Latin and French texts. Over time, laches became a formal, somewhat archaic term in legal contexts and in critiques of inaction, sometimes appearing in rhetorical or literary discussions about timeliness and duty. In contemporary English, it remains a recognized but relatively specialized word, more likely encountered in law, philosophy, or formal writing than in casual speech.
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Words that rhyme with "Laches"
-hes sounds
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