3 syllables: Pa, paya, s. Stress on paya.
puh-PEYE-uhz
/pəˈpaɪəz/
Papayas is pronounced puh-PEYE-uhz (/pəˈpaɪəz/). It has three syllables (Pa-paya-s), with the stress on "paya". Papayas is the plural form of papaya, a tropical fruit with orange flesh and a bell-shaped green skin. The word is used mainly in culinary contexts and grocery or botanical writing. As a noun, it typically appears with countable usage (e.g., several papayas) and carries light cross-cultural flavor in speech.
nounPapayas is the plural form of papaya, a tropical fruit with orange flesh and a bell-shaped green skin. The word is used mainly in culinary contexts and grocery or botanical writing. As a noun, it typically appears with countable usage (e.g., several papayas) and carries light cross-cultural flavor in speech.
"I bought three ripe papayas from the market."
"The papayas on the tree are almost ready to harvest."
"We added diced papayas to the fruit salad for sweetness."
Pronunciation: /pəˈpaɪ.əz/ (US/UK) or /pəˈpaɪ.əz/ in most dialects; stress is on the second syllable: pa-PY-as. The first syllable is a schwa /ə/, the second has the diphthong /aɪ/ as in 'my', and the final is a voiced schwa + z (/əz/) sound in rapid speech. For careful enunciation, say pa (unreduced) + PY (as in 'pile') + as (əz). Audio reference: consult Pronounce or Cambridge learner’s dictionary entry for papaya/papayas.
Two major errors: 1) Misplacing stress: saying pa-PAY-as with primary stress on the first syllable or evenly across syllables. 2) Mispronouncing the final -yas as /jæs/ or /jeɪz/ instead of the reduced final /əz/. Correction: keep /pəˈpaɪ.əz/ with primary stress on PY, and end with /əz/ (not /eɪz/). Practice the middle /aɪ/ as in 'my' and finish quickly with a soft z. Consistent practice with minimal pairs will fix this.
In US/UK, the final /z/ is clear as /z/ in careful speech and often reduced to /əz/ in rapid speech. Vowel length in the first syllable stays short; the key is the /aɪ/ diphthong in PY. Australian English may exhibit a slightly more centralized schwa in the first syllable and a glided ending, but generally remains /pəˈpaɪ.əz/. Rhoticity differences are minor here; the word does not carry rhotic vowels beyond the first syllable.
Key challenges are the /ˈpaɪ/ diphthong in the second syllable, which travelers often mispronounce as /paɪ-ə/ or /paɪ-æ/. The final /əz/ can be unclear if you over-voice the /z/ or drop the vowel entirely in fast speech. Practice the sequence pa-PY-as, emphasizing the rhyme between PY and the final /əz/. Use a slow pace to hear the transition from /aɪ/ to /əz/.
A unique aspect is maintaining the schwa in the first syllable while delivering a clear /aɪ/ in the second syllable, enabling a natural rise in pitch on PY. The plural designation doesn’t change pronunciation dramatically, but you can hear a subtle elongation of the middle vowel when spoken slowly: pa-PY-as. Keeping the final /əz/ cluster intact helps with natural rhythm.
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Papaya derives from the Caribbean or Central American Spanish papaya, from a Taíno word papaia. The fruit was first described in European texts in the 16th century after exchange between the New World and Europe. English adoption likely came through scientific and culinary writing in the 18th–19th centuries, with papaya standardized as the fruit’s common name by mid-19th century. The word spread globally with global fruit trade, particularly in tropical regions, while some languages retain alternative names such as pawpaw or papaya. In English, papaya often appears in singular form; plural papayas is common when referring to more than one fruit. Over time, papaya has taken on culinary connotations (papaya salad, tropical smoothie), separate from its botanical descriptor, but the spelling and pronunciation have remained stable in modern English usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Papayas"
-ar) sounds
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