2 syllables: mesh, es. Stress on mesh.
/ˈmɛʃɪz/
Say it backMeshes is the plural of mesh, or a verb form meaning to fit together like interlaced strands. In nouns it refers to interconnected networks or materials made of woven or linked elements. As a verb, it describes the action of combining or coordinating parts so they interlock or interlock poorly if misaligned.
- You’ll often flatten the /ʃ/ into an /s/ sound; train your mouth to make a clear, hushing /ʃ/ by gently raising the tongue blade toward the palate and letting the air pass over it. - The middle vowel /ɛ/ can be too lax; keep it as a crisp short vowel like in 'bet', not a reduced 'eh'. - Final /z/ can become voiceless; ensure your vocal folds vibrate for /z/ by keeping the glottis engaged and not switching to /s/.
"The gears meshes smoothly with the drive shaft, transferring torque efficiently."
"The workers arranged the metal meshes to form a reinforced barrier."
"Her ideas mesh well with the project’s goals, creating a cohesive plan."
Pronounce as MEM-shiz with two syllables. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈmɛʃɪz/. Start with the open-mid front vowel /ɛ/ as in 'bet', then the /ʃ/ for 'sh', followed by a short /ɪ/ as in 'kit', and end with /z/. The second syllable is unstressed-ish but clearly voiced. Keep the teeth lightly touching the bottom lip for /m/ before /ɛ/ and avoid adding a schwa. You’ll hear a crisp /ʃ/ and a voiced /z/ at the end.
Common errors: 1) Slurring the /ʃ/ into /s/ or /tʃ/, producing /ˈmɛsɪz/ instead of /ˈmɛʃɪz/. 2) Misplacing the /m/ and producing a nasalized leading vowel; ensure a clean /m/ before /ɛ/. 3) Overly prolonged middle vowel or adding a schwa; keep the /ɪ/ short. Corrections: practice the sequence /m-ɛ-ʃ-ɪ-z/ with a fast but clear transition, and use minimal pairs like mesh/meshes to reinforce final /z/ clarity.
In US and AU accents, /ˈmɛʃɪz/ with a clear, unreleased ending and a tense /ɛ/. In many UK varieties, /ˈmɛʃɪz/ is similar, but some speakers reduce the vowel slightly in connected speech and may exhibit less rhoticity in faster speech. The /ʃ/ and final /z/ are consistent, but the quality of /ɛ/ can vary toward /e/. Overall, all share two syllables with primary stress on the first syllable.
The difficulty lies in the rapid sequence /m-ɛ-ʃ-ɪ-z/ and keeping the /ʃ/ distinct from neighboring consonants while maintaining a clean voicing for /z/. Learners often merge /ʃ/ with /s/ or mispronounce the final /z/ as /s/ due to voicing, especially in casual speech. Another challenge is small vowel length differences in fast connected speech; practice with careful timing and hear the contrast between /ʃ/ and /s/.
Does the word 'meshes' ever lose the /ɪ/ vowel in rapid speech? In careful speech, /ˈmɛʃɪz/ preserves /ɪ/. In rapid or informal speech, some speakers may reduce to a near /ˈmɛʃz/ or /ˈmɛʃz/ with a syllabic /z/; however, standard careful pronunciation keeps the /ɪ/. Aim for the clear /ɪ/ to avoid confusion with /mɛʃəz/ patterns in some dialects.
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- US: clear /ˈmɛʃɪz/ with a strong /ɪ/; rhoticity isn’t a major factor in this word. - UK: similar to US, but you may hear a slightly shorter /ɪ/ and a lighter /z/ in fast speech; keep it voiced. - AU: tends to be tight with less vocal relaxation; maintain the same /ˈmɛʃɪz/ pattern, but watch vowel length in rapid talk. IPA guidance: /ˈmɛʃɪz/ across locales, but real speech may reduce vowel duration slightly in informal registers.
The word meshes comes from the noun mesh, from Middle English meshe, from Old English mesh, related to Dutch maas and German Masche, all tied to the concept of a net or meshwork. The sense of interlocking strands (as a fabric or network) appears in the late Middle Ages, with the verb form lockstep extending from the physical sense of interlaced elements. The metaphorical usage—ideas, plans, or components that fit together—emerges in the modern period as a natural extension of the literal meaning. The root is tied to Proto-Germanic *mazkaz/*maskez meaning a net or weave, with analogs across Germanic languages. The spelling shift to -es for the plural and the verb forms aligns with English pluralization and third-person singular patterns. First known uses include references to nets and fabric in medieval texts, with more abstract uses in the 18th–19th centuries as industrial processes and mechanical interlocks became common. The term maintains concrete senses in engineering and textiles, and metaphorical expansions in collaboration and systems thinking persist today. The word’s rhythm and pluralization have contributed to its frequent appearance in technical, design, and operations discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "meshes" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "meshes" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "meshes"
-hes sounds
-/a) sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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