Metres (plural noun) refers to units of length in the metric system, or more generally, measures or extents of something. In British English, it is the plural of metre; in American English, measurements are typically referred to as meters in many contexts, but metres is understood in global usage. It encompasses both technical measurements and figurative extents across contexts.
"The track is 100 metres long."
"She recorded several metres of fabric for the project."
"He measured the room in metres before buying new furniture."
"The river spans dozens of metres from bank to bank."
Metres originates from the French word metre, which derives from the Greek metron meaning measure. The term was standardized during the scientific and metric system developments in the 18th century, culminating in the metre being defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole. English adoption followed the wider move to metric units in Britain and its colonies. The plural form in English is metres in British English and meters in American English after the standard pluralization of -e to -ers in borrowed metric terms, with the pronunciation shifting to /ˈmiːtərz/ in American usage when spelled meters. The international adoption of SI units reinforced the shared word form metres in Commonwealth contexts while allowing meters for US contexts. The word first appeared in English scientific literature in the 19th century, aligning with early metric system codifications.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Metres" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Metres"
-ers sounds
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Pronounce as /ˈmiːtərz/ in US/UK. The first syllable is stressed: /ˈmiː/ (long
Mistakes include saying /ˈmɛtərs/ with a short first vowel or dropping the final /z/. Correct by using /ˈmiːtərz/ with a long /iː/ in the first syllable and the voiced /z/ at the end. Ensure the /t/ is a clear alveolar stop, not a flapped variant in rapid speech.
UK/US both use /ˈmiːtərz/, with rhoticity affecting only the 'r' quality in some US dialects in post-vocalic position; AU tends to be non-rhotic but may retain a light /ɹ/ in careful speech. The main variation is vowel quality and linking to following consonants.
The challenge lies in maintaining a long front vowel /iː/ in the first syllable and the voiced final /z/ after a voiceless alveolar /t/. Many learners also confuse the British /ˈmetəz/ vs /ˈmiːtərz/. Focus on vowel length and a clean /t/ release before the /ər/ portion.
In rapid speech, you may experience a slight yod-like avoidance between /t/ and /ər/; you’ll want to keep the /t/ clearly released and then glide into /ər/ without linking to an R sound unless the dialect prefers a rhotic accent. Practice with a short pause after /t/ to avoid assimilation.
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