One syllable: leagues.
/liɡz/
Say it backLeagues refers to groups or divisions that are organized based on skill or level, often used in sports or other competitive activities. It can also mean a considerable distance or extent in phrases like “more leagues apart.” The term implies formal ranking, competition, or association within a structured system. In everyday use, it typically describes a level or category of affiliation, standards, or rivalry.
"Our school participates in several regional leagues for soccer and basketball."
"The two teams had recently moved up to different leagues after a strong season."
"She compares his abilities to athletes from leagues far above ours."
Pronounce as /liːɡz/ in US/UK/AU. Start with a long 'ee' vowel, then a hard /ɡ/ stop before the voiced /z/. The Syllable structure is single stressed syllable: LEAGZ. Mouth position: high front tongue for /iː/, back-of-tongue contact for /ɡ/, then the voicing continues into /z/. In careful speech, you’ll clearly hear the /ɡ/ before the /z/. Audio reference: you can compare with 'league' and add the final z for the plural: ‘league’ [liːɡ] vs ‘leagues’ [liːɡz]. IPA: /liːɡz/.
Two common errors: dropping the /ɡ/ and running the /z/ from a vowel-confusion position. First, instead of /ɡz/, some speakers produce /liz/ or /liz/ by treating /ɡz/ as a soft /s/ before /z/—correct by ensuring a brief but audible stop before the /z/. Second, some learners merge the /iː/ into a shorter vowel or slide to /eɪ/; keep the long /iː/ with a tensified mouth height. Practice with slow repetition: /liːɡz/.” ,
US/UK/AU share /liːɡz/ for leagues, with subtle differences: US often has a crisper /ɡ/ release and shorter vowel duration before /z/; UK may retain slightly stronger syllable tension and a clearer /ɡ/; AU tends to be non-rhotic but in this word the /r/ is not involved, vowels may be slightly more centralized, but the /iː/ remains. Rhotic/diphthong tendencies vary; the core is the /liːɡz/ pattern, with minimal variation in the vowel height. IPA: /liːɡz/ across all three.
The difficulty lies in the consonant cluster /ɡz/ immediately after a long high front vowel: /liː/ followed by a voiced stop /ɡ/ and a voiced fricative /z/. The combination can blur in fast speech, and some non-native speakers mispronounce /ɡz/ as /gz/ or /z/ only. Focus on a clean /ɡ/ release into the /z/, not a double sound, and maintain the long /iː/ vowel before it. IPA: /liːɡz/.
Yes—ending with /ɡz/ is a less common cluster for learners; you must execute a brief stop for /ɡ/ and then a voiced /z/. Some learners voice assimilation may reduce the /ɡ/ or merge with /z/, sounding like /liːdz/ or /liːʒ/ in some dialects. Target the crisp /ɡ/ release before /z/, keeping the long /iː/ in the first syllable. IPA: /liːɡz/.
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Leagues comes from the Old French word legue, which itself derives from the Latin ligare meaning to bind or tie. Historically, ligue referred to a political or military alliance or a bound group, often used in medieval contexts to denote a coalition or alliance of towns. The term traveled into Middle English as leagues, retaining its sense of organized groupings and alliances. By the 14th–15th centuries, leagues also began to denote larger distances in nautical or geographic sense, influenced by the phrase ‘a league’ as a measure of distance (roughly three miles in modern terms). In modern usage, leagues most often designate competitive groups (sports leagues, professional associations) or metaphorical levels of comparison (on another league, in a different league). The evolution from a binding alliance to a measure of distance and then to a metaphor for levels of competition reflects shifts in how societies organized groups and measured distinctions. First known uses appear in medieval legal and political texts where leagues described alliances and federations, with later literature embedding the idea of social and athletic hierarchies within leagues or divisions.
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Words that rhyme with "leagues"
-aks sounds
-eks sounds
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