2 syllables: mur, ders. Stress on mur.
/ˈmɝdɚz/
Say it backMurders refers to the act of unlawfully killing another person with intent, or to multiple instances of such killings. It is a legal term used to describe the most serious category of homicide, typically carrying severe penalties. In everyday use, it can also appear in phrases like “murders of evidence” metaphorically, though such usage is less precise.
"The police investigated several murders that occurred in the neighborhood last year."
"The defendant was convicted of multiple murders and sentenced to life in prison."
"There have been calls for reform to reduce violence and prevent future murders."
Pronounce it as /ˈmɜːr.dərz/ (US) or /ˈmɜː.dəz/ (UK/AU casual). The first syllable has primary stress. The middle syllable is a relaxed schwa /ər/ or /ə/. The final -ers is an /ɪz/ or /ərz/? In practice, it’s /-dərz/ in US, or /-dəz/ in some UK pronunciations with reduced final consonant. Mouth: start with a mid-central vowel for /ɜː/ with the tongue high-mid, lips neutral. Then /d/ tap the alveolar ridge, followed by /ɚ/ (schwa+r) in American pronunciation, and /ə/ or /ɜː/ in non-rhotic UK speech. End with a voiced /z/. Audio example: try saying “murders” slowly: /ˈmɜːr.dərz/.
Common errors: 1) Substituting /ɜː/ with a lax /ɪ/ in the first syllable (say /ˈmɪrdərz/); fix by widening the mouth and raising the tongue to a mid-back position for /ɜː/. 2) Deleting the /d/ or making it too soft (say mur-ers as /ˈmərərz/); keep the alveolar stop /d/ clearly, short but audible. 3) Pronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ or /ɪz/; ensure voiced /z/ by voicing the vocal folds. Practice with minimal pairs: /ˈmɜːrdərz/ vs /ˈmɜːrdərs/ to feel voicing.
In US English, you’ll hear /ˈmɜːr.dərz/ with rhotic /r/ and a clear /dər/ blend; the final /z/ is voiced. UK English tends to reduce the /r/ in non-rhotic accents, giving /ˈmɜː.dəz/ with a softer /d/ and a weaker rhotic ending; Australia similar to UK but with slightly more rhoticity in some speakers and often a stronger /ː/ in /ɜː/. Overall, final consonant can be less forceful in UK/AU; US tends to a stronger rhoticity and a crisp /ər/ transition.
Two main challenges: the /ɜː/ vowel in stressed syllable may be unfamiliar if your native language lacks a central back vowel; you must keep the /ər/ cluster smooth without adding extra vowel. The /d/ is followed by a linking schwa in rapid speech, so you need to avoid inserting a vowel between /d/ and /r/; practice achieving the /dər/ sequence as a single, fluid unit. Lastly, the final /z/ requires consistent voicing; many learners devoice it or mispronounce as /s/.
Is the /ər/ in mur-ders a true rhotic r or a schwa with r-coloring? In American English, it is an r-colored schwa /ər/ in stressed syllables, realized as /ɚ/ before a consonant; in careful speech you may hear a distinct /ɜː/ plus rhotic /r/ cluster. The practical takeaway: keep the middle as a quick, r-colored schwa to avoid over-articulating the /r/; let it glide into the following /d/.
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The word murder derives from the Old English morthian, which meant ‘to kill, slay, or murder.’ Its cognates appear in German (morden) and Dutch (moorden) from Proto-Germanic *murþijaną, linked to Proto-Indo-European root *mer- ‘to die’ or ‘to harm.’ In Middle English, murder carried strong moral and legal weight, aligning with homicide in religious and royal law. Over the centuries, the term narrowed to a defined criminal act—unlawful killing with malice aforethought—distinguishing it from other forms of death in law. The plural murders entered legal and journalistic usage to describe more than one killing, while metaphorical uses like “murders of evidence” emerged in modern rhetoric but are non-technical. First known English attestations appear in legal and ecclesiastical texts from the 9th to 12th centuries, with evolving statutory definitions in common law by the 16th century. In contemporary American English, “murders” is used both in legal contexts and in crime reporting, while still retaining its precise legal sense in formal discourse.
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Words that rhyme with "murders"
-ers sounds
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