3 syllables: lis, ten, ers. Stress on lis.
LIS-uh-nurz
/ˈlɪsənɚz/
listeners is pronounced LIS-uh-nurz (/ˈlɪsənɚz/). It has three syllables (lis-ten-ers), with the stress on "lis". Listeners refers to people who are listening or paying attention, typically in a broadcast, lecture, or conversation. The word functions as a plural noun and centers on the act of listening by an audience. It emphasizes the audience as recipients of speech, music, or information rather than the act of listening itself.
Listeners refers to people who are listening or paying attention, typically in a broadcast, lecture, or conversation. The word functions as a plural noun and centers on the act of listening by an audience. It emphasizes the audience as recipients of speech, music, or information rather than the act of listening itself.
"The radio program attracted a large group of listeners from around the city."
"During the lecture, several listeners asked insightful questions."
"Online tutorials often engage active listeners who follow along with captions."
Pronounce as /ˈlɪsənərz/ (US/UK). Primary stress on the first syllable: LI-sen-ers. The second syllable reduces to a schwa /ən/ and the final /z/ is voiced. In connected speech, it can sound like /ˈlɪsənɚz/ with a rhotic-like quality depending on the accent. Tip: keep the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /l/ and /s/, then relax the jaw for /ən/; end with a clear /z/. Audio reference: think of “listen” plus the plural suffix -ers.
Two common errors: (1) Over-articulating the second syllable, saying /ˈlɪsˌɛnərz/; keep /ən/ as a quick, neutral schwa to avoid a heavy second syllable. (2) Voicing the final /z/ inconsistently, leading to a clipped /s/ or a voiceless ending. Correction: finalize with a fully voiced /z/ and avoid de-voicing at the end; ensure the vocal cords vibrate for the final sound. Practice saying ‘listen’ + /ərz/ smoothly for natural rhythm.
US: strong /ˈlɪsənərz/ with clear /r/ or rhotic vowel; UK: /ˈlɪsənəz/ with a non-rhotic /r/ and weaker second syllable; AU: /ˈlɪsənəz/ with very reduced /ə/ in the second syllable and a light /z/. Note: US tends to keep /r/ in rhotic accents; UK often z-sound is less enunciated; AU often compresses the final /ər/ to a schwa with vowel reduction. Mouth positions converge on the same alveolar lining for /l/ and /s/ but vary in rhoticity and vowel stability.
The challenge lies in the reduction of unstressed syllables and the need to maintain a voiced final /z/ after an /ər/ or /ən/ sequence. The middle /s/ and /n/ cluster requires a smooth transition: keep the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /s/ and switch quickly to the vowel /ə/ before /n/. The final /z/ must be voiced, which often gets devoiced in rapid speech, causing it to blend with /s/.
A unique feature is the quick reduction from /ˈlɪsən/ to /ˈlɪsənə/ in fluent speech, where the second syllable (ən) often remains weak and the final /z/ carries voice. The plural suffix -ers in listeners reduces to /ərz/ in many varieties, but some speakers insert a full /ɚ/ or /ɜr/, depending on the accent. Paying attention to the rhythm—strong first syllable, quick middle, breathy end—helps preserve naturalness.
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Listener comes from Middle English listenere, from Old English gehlysnan ‘to listen, attend to,’ from the base word listen (Old English hlysnian). The root is related to lyd, ascolt, and related Germanic terms signaling attention to sound. In Middle English, -er suffix formed agent nouns, giving ‘one who listens.’ Over time, the spelling stabilized as listener and pluralized to listeners. The semantic core shifted from “one who gives ear” in a hearing sense to “the audience or group who listens” in communication contexts, particularly with radio, lectures, and concerts. The word’s first known uses appear in Later Old English/early Middle English texts, where speakers described asistentes at gatherings who attended to spoken or sung content. By the 18th–19th centuries, with mass media and public addresses, it broadened to denote a collective audience or readership of broadcast content, phonetic communities, and educational settings. The modern sense emphasizes the audience as recipients and participants in communication, not just silent receivers, and retains the plural form to indicate multiple hearers.
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Words that rhyme with "listeners"
-ers sounds
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