One syllable: Neighs.
nayz
/neɪz/
Neighs is pronounced nayz (/neɪz/). It has one syllable (Neighs), with the stress on "Neighs". Neighs is the plural of the noun neigh, referring to the sounds made by horses. It denotes a characteristic vocalization produced by equines, often used to communicate excitement or greeting. In plural form, it can describe a repertoire of such vocalizations or simply multiple occurrences of the sound in context.
nounNeighs is the plural of the noun neigh, referring to the sounds made by horses. It denotes a characteristic vocalization produced by equines, often used to communicate excitement or greeting. In plural form, it can describe a repertoire of such vocalizations or simply multiple occurrences of the sound in context.
"The rancher heard a chorus of neighs as the horses gathered at the fence."
"Her neighs carried a clear pleading note, asking for grain."
"In the quiet barn, distant neighs drifted from the paddock."
Pronounce as /neɪz/ with a long A vowel. Stress on the single syllable. Begin with an alveolar nasal /n/, glide into the diphthong /eɪ/ like in 'day,' and end with /z/. Your jaw should drop slightly for /eɪ/ and the tongue tip lightly contacts the alveolar ridge for /z/. Listen for a clean, single beat: neɪz.
Common errors include pronouncing it as /neəs/ with a schwa in the middle or turning it into /neɪs/ without the final voiced consonant. Another pitfall is slipping into a long /ɪ/ or misplacing VOICING on /z/. To correct: keep the /eɪ/ diphthong tight and immediately voice the final /z/ without a pause. Aim for a crisp /neɪz/ with the tongue staying near the alveolar ridge for /z/.
In US and UK accents, /neɪz/ remains a single syllable, but rhotic vs non-rhotic tendencies don’t alter this word—it's not r-colored. In Australian English, you may hear a slightly broader /eɪ/ and a marginally stronger final voicing, but the difference is subtle. The main variance lies in vowel length and aspiration on surrounding words, not in the core /neɪz/ nucleus.
The challenge is coordinating the diphthong /eɪ/ with a crisp final /z/ in rapid speech, especially when followed by another consonant or in linked speech. Speakers often exaggerate the /ɪ/ or misplace the tongue for /z/, producing /neɪz/ with a detached finale or an unvoiced /s/. Practice with minimal pairs and slow repetition to stabilize the final voiced consonant.
The essential feature is the voiced alveolar sibilant /z/ that follows the diphthong. Some speakers may insert a brief stop or lengthen the vowel before /z/ in careful speech, creating /neɪdz/ by mistake. Focus on keeping the /z/ immediately after the /eɪ/ with continuous voicing, ensuring there is no barrier between the nucleus and the coda.
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Neighs traces to the Old English nagean or nǣgan, linked to the onomatopoeic representation of a horse's vocalization. The base word neigh originates from the Proto-Germanic *naigijaną, associated with neighing or crying out. In Middle English, forms like neigen and neigene appeared in chronicles to describe horse calls, often in pastoral poetry and hunting narratives. By Early Modern English, neigh had solidified as a standalone noun and verb, with plural neighs emerging to describe multiple instances of the sound. Over centuries, the semantic field broadened in literature to denote the social signaling function of equine vocalizations in horse-human interactions, including greeting, alarm, and expression of arousal. The phonetic profile remained relatively stable: the initial /n/ followed by the diphthongal /eɪ/ and a final /z/ or /s/ plural marker, with occasional regional variations in enunciation. First known printing attestations appear in 15th-century English glosses and in rhymed verses that anthropomorphize horses on English farmlands. The word’s endurance in modern usage reflects its utility in describing a natural, recognizable sound within the broader landscape of animal vocalizations, as well as its metaphorical extension in literature and culture.”,
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Neighs" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Neighs"
-ase sounds
-eas sounds
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