One syllable: laps.
/læps/
Say it backLaps is the plural noun or verb form of lap, referring to one’s upper thighs when seated or to multiple instances of running in short distances. In noun form, it often appears in phrases like “on his laps,” while as a verb it means to move quickly around a track or to drink eagerly, as in laps up information. The word’s pronunciation is short, with a clear final s.
- You common error is adding extra vowels after /p/ (e.g., /læpəs/). Solution: practice stopping the release after /p/ and immediately voicing /s/. - Another frequent mistake is voicing the final /s/ into /z/ in rapid speech; ensure your vocal cords stay at voiceless for /s/. Practice: hold /læp/ then release /s/ with a tiny puff of air. - Mispronouncing /æ/ as /eɪ/ or a prolonged vowel; keep the short /æ/ as in cat. Practice with minimal pairs: laps vs leaps, laps vs lapses. - In fast connected speech, you may merge /p/ and /s/; keep a deliberate boundary to maintain crispness.
"- The cat curled up on her laps as she read."
"- He ran several laps around the track before sunset."
"- She laps up all the gossip she hears at the office."
Pronounce it as /læps/. The stress is on the single syllable word. Begin with an open front lax vowel /æ/ as in cat, then release into a voiceless alveolar stop /p/ followed by an unvoiced sibilant /s/. In careful speech, you may hear a crisp /p/ before the final /s/, so avoid adding a vowel after /p/. IPA: /læps/; tongue low-mid, lips relaxed rounded slightly, jaw neutral. For audio reference, listen to standard American pronunciations of laps.
Common errors: 1) Slurring the final /s/ into a voiced sound like /z/ (lazps) or allowing the /s/ to stand as a hiss without preceding /p/. Correction: make a clean release from /p/ and then a short, sharp /s/. 2) Adding a vowel after /p/, resulting in /læppəs/ or /läpsə/. Correction: end instantly with /s/. 3) Substituting /æ/ with an /eɪ/ diphthong in rapid speech; keep the short /æ/ instead. Practice by isolating /læp/ and then attaching /s/ quickly.
In US English, /læps/ with a clear, quick /s/ final; no rhoticity impact on the vowel. In UK English, /læps/ remains similar, but glottalization of /p/ or softer final /s/ may occur in some dialects; otherwise keep /læps/. In Australian English, /læps/ is close to US but with a slight centralized vowel in some speakers, and the /s/ can be more hissy due to greater aspiration. In all, the vowel is non-rhotic in these contexts; the main differences are subtle vowel quality and final-s realization.
The difficulty stems from the quick, precise sequence /læp/ followed by /s/. The transition from the /p/ stop to the unvoiced /s/ requires a small, rapid release; beginners often insert a vowel or voice the /s/. Another challenge is sustaining /æ/ before a voiceless consonant in rapid speech, which can tilt toward /eɪ/ or become lax. Practicing with minimal pairs and slow-to-fast progression helps stabilize the final consonant cluster and ensures clean, crisp /s/.
The key nuance is the plural/third-person agreement that influences enunciation in connected speech. In careful speech, you clearly articulate /læps/ without a connective vowel; in fast speech, you might hear a slightly reduced vowel or slight assimilation when followed by a consonant, but the core form remains /læps/. If you’re following a verb phrase like ‘laps the track,’ keep the /æs/ or /əz/ depending on the following word due to liaison in rapid speech. In general, the word itself remains /læps/.
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- US: /læps/ with clear /æ/ and crisp /p/ + /s/. - UK: similar, but some speakers may light-inhibit /p/ aspiration; maintain crisp release. - AU: /læps/ with slightly more centralized vowel tendencies in some speakers; keep the same skeleton: /æ/ + /p/ + /s/. Reference IPA: /læps/ across dialects. - Focus on the final /s/: practice with a variety of following consonants to ensure you don’t voice the /s/ or omit it. - Use exaggerated enunciation in practice then ease into natural speed.
Laps comes from the noun lap, meaning the upper part of the legs while seated, or a circuit around a track. The sense of ‘occasions of drinking or licking with the tongue’ (as in lap up) shares the same root of the verb lap meaning ‘to drink up gulps’ or ‘to move around by going around something.’ The plural laps emerged in Middle English as the straightforward plural of lap. The noun sense (on someone’s lap) is attested in early English varieties, with the meaning expanding to ‘rounds of a race’ or ‘circuits’ as organized activities like swimming and running gained popularity. The phrase laps around the track first appeared in sports contexts in the 19th century, with “lap” itself deriving from Proto-Germanic *lapsaz, related to Old English lapian “to slip” in some early dialects (though in modern use the meaning centers on a circuit). First known written usages include generic references to a child sitting on a parent’s lap in medieval texts, and by the late 1800s, to athletic laps on a track. Over time, the word consolidated into common sports terminology and everyday usage for “laps” as multiple repetitions or segments, and as a verb, “to lap” has retained senses of taking up with lapping (lapping up drinks or information).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "laps" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "laps"
-aps sounds
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