lips

Pronounce as /lɪps/. The initial /l/ is light and contact with the alveolar ridge; the vowel is a short lax /ɪ/ as in 'sit'; the /p/ is a voiceless bilabial plosive with a brief stop, followed by a final /s/ that is a clear, voiceless sibilant. In careful speech, hold the vowel briefly before the /p/ and release into /ps/ with a quick transition to /s/. IPA: /lɪps/.

Common errors include turning /ɪ/ into a more centralized or diphthong-like vowel (e.g., /ə/), producing a softened /p/ as an unreleased bilabial or a flap, and letting the final /s/ blend with the preceding /p/ making it /lips/ or /lɪps/ with little voiceless release. Correct by ensuring a crisp /p/ with a short, explosive release and a clear /s/ after. Practice with a brief pause between /p/ and /s/ to maintain distinct segments: /l/ - /ɪ/ - /p/ - /s/.

In US, UK, and AU accents the core is /lɪps/. Differences show in vowel quality and rhoticity around surrounding phrases; rhotics are not relevant in /lips/ itself. Some UK speakers may have a slightly more centralized /ɪ/ and a crisper /p/ release, while US speakers often prize a slightly tenser /ɪ/ and a swifter /s/ release. Australian pronunciation remains close to /lɪps/ but can exhibit broader vowel quality in surrounding vowels and flapped or glottalized variants in rapid speech. Overall, main variation is in adjacent sounds rather than the target word itself.

The difficulty lies in timing the transitions between the bilabial stop /p/ and the sibilant /s/ while keeping the vowel stable. The /l/ demands tongue-on-alveolar contact with light leakage around the sides, which can feel counterintuitive if you’re tense. In rapid speech, the /p/ release can blur into the /s/. Focus on a clean bilabial closure, a crisp stop release, and a firmly placed alveolar sibilant to separate the segments clearly.

Because 'lips' ends with a voiceless /s/, you’ll want to ensure voiceless termination even in connected speech. A common search query asks how to avoid voice assimilation from a preceding voiced consonant; here, the key is to keep the final /s/ crisp and unvoiced, not lengthened or colored by surrounding vowels. Maintain a light, forward resonance with the /l/ and a short /ɪ/ before the /p/ release, then a precise /s/.