2 syllables: pay, rolls. Stress on pay.
PAY-rohlz
/ˈpeɪˌɹoʊlz/
payrolls is pronounced PAY-rohlz (/ˈpeɪˌɹoʊlz/). It has two syllables (pay-rolls), with the stress on "pay". Payrolls refers to the sums of money paid to employees by an organization for a specific pay period, including wages, salaries, bonuses, and deductions. The term can also denote the list or system that tracks those payments. In practice, it’s used in plural when discussing multiple payroll cycles, systems, or batches of payments. It’s a technical business term common in HR and finance contexts.
Payrolls refers to the sums of money paid to employees by an organization for a specific pay period, including wages, salaries, bonuses, and deductions. The term can also denote the list or system that tracks those payments. In practice, it’s used in plural when discussing multiple payroll cycles, systems, or batches of payments. It’s a technical business term common in HR and finance contexts.
- You may default to a flat /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ in the second syllable; ensure you’re using the long /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ depending on accent. - Final /lz/ cluster can become a softer /z/ or a separate /l/; keep the /l/ immediately before the /z/ and voice the /z/ to complete the cluster. - Pressure on the final syllable can bleed into the second syllable; keep a distinct boundary between syllables. - Try not to blend payrolls with “payroll” in rapid speech; keep the plural ending audible. - People often reduce the first syllable too much; maintain the strong /peɪ/ to anchor the word.
"The company updated its payrolls to reflect the new overtime rules."
"HR reported that payrolls would be processed on Friday this week."
"Different departments handle payrolls separately to ensure accuracy."
Pronounce as /ˈpeɪroʊlz/ in US English, /ˈpeɪrəʊlz/ in UK English, or /ˈpeɪɹɒːlz/ in broad Australian. The primary stress is on the first syllable PAY (/peɪ/). The second syllable is a rhotic or non-rhotic vowel depending on accent, followed by the final -lz cluster. Anchor with a clear final z sound: the /lz/ combination should feel like a light, single consonant blend, not two separate sounds. Visualize: PAY + roll(s). Audio reference aligns with standard dictionaries for payrolls.
Common errors: (1) mispronouncing the second syllable as /ɒl/ or /ɔl/ instead of the long /oʊ/ or /əʊ/; (2) dropping the final /z/ (pronouncing as pluralless ‘payroll’) or making it an /s/; ensure the voice lands on /lz/ as a single final cluster. To correct: keep the /oʊ/ vowel in the second syllable and articulate the final /lz/ clearly with a light contact, letting the z voice carry through. Practice with minimal pairs: payrolls vs pay-rolls (emphasize the /ɹ/ or /ɹ/ depending on dialect).
In US English, you’ll hear a clear /ˈpeɪroʊlz/ with a rhotic /r/ and a long /oʊ/ in the second syllable. UK English often uses /ˈpeɪrəʊlz/ with a non-rhotic /r/ and a more rounded /əʊ/ in the second vowel. Australian tends toward /ˈpeɪɹɒːlz/ or /ˈpeɪɹəɫz/, with a flatter /ɒ/ or diphthongal closing depending on region, and a less pronounced rhoticity. Listen for the rhoticity cue and the second vowel quality as the most distinguishing feature across accents.
The difficulty centers on the final -lz cluster after a stressed first syllable with a long vowel in /eɪ/. Speakers often misplace the /l/ or merge the /l/ with /z/, producing /ˈpeɪroʊz/ or /ˈpeɪɹʊlz/. The soft, light contact needed for /lz/ requires precision in tongue blade and lip position. Practice by isolating the final cluster: /l/ with a following voiced /z/ while maintaining the first syllable’s long /eɪ/; slow it down, then integrate into a natural rhythm.
Does the plural payrolls refer to multiple payroll cycles or multiple payroll systems? Answer: It can refer to both depending on context. When you say "the payrolls last month were accurate across all departments," you imply multiple cycles within a period. If you discuss software, you might say, "the payrolls were updated across all locations in the new system." The plural signals either batch processing or distinct payroll datasets in a single organization.
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- US: emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ and the /oʊ/ in the second syllable; keep /l/ light and the final /z/ voiced. - UK: non-rhotic /ɹ/?; the second vowel becomes /əʊ/; maintain a clean /lz/, but with less rhotic influence. - AU: similar to US but with a more centralized /ɹ/ and variances in /ɒ/ vs /əʊ/; ensure the final cluster remains audible. - IPA anchors: US /ˈpeɪroʊlz/, UK /ˈpeɪrəʊlz/, AU /ˈpeɪɹɒːlz/; practice listening for the rhotics and diphthong shifts. - General tip: practice the second syllable as a controlled diphthong with a distinct /l/ before the /z/ to avoid dropping the /l/.
Pay is rooted in Old French paier (to pay) and Latin pacare (to appease, to pacify), while roll derives from Old English rallian/rollian, reflecting a scroll or list. The compound payroll appears in English law and commerce in the 16th-17th centuries as a general term for the lists and accounts of payments to workers. By the 19th century, payrolls began to denote the total wages payable to workers in a given period, often recorded as a formal document. The plural payrolls emerged as organizations (and governments) managed multiple payroll subsets, payments, or cycles, enabling distinctions between different divisions, periods, or batches. Today, payrolls is a standard business term used in human resources, finance, and payroll software discussions, signaling both the process (payroll) and the outcome (the sets of payments). First known uses align with early modern English financial administration, with evidence in accounting ledgers and government wage records. Over time, the word consolidated as a fixed plural form when discussing multiple payroll cycles or datasets, while the singular payroll remains the system or function in general terms.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "payrolls" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "payrolls"
-lls sounds
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