place

Pronounce it as /pleɪs/ with a decisive /p/ onset, a light but clear /l/ as you transition to the diphthong /eɪ/, and a final /s/. The stress is on the single syllable PLACE. Think of combining a quick burst of air with a smooth glide to /eɪ/, ending with a crisp /s/. For reference, you can compare with audio on standard dictionaries; the key is a strong punchy start and a clean glide into the vowel before the final /s/.

Two common errors: replacing /eɪ/ with a shorter /e/ or /æ/ in “plee-s” or “plase”; and softening the /s/ into a z-sound in casual speech. Correct by ensuring the vowel is the tense diphthong /eɪ/ as in “face,” and keeping the final /s/ voiceless and crisp, not voiced. Also avoid inserting a schwa after /p/; keep /pl/ tightly connected for a clean onset.

In US and UK, /pleɪs/ is quite similar, but US speakers may yield a slightly tenser /eɪ/ and crisper /s/ at word-end in careful speech. Australian English generally shares the /pleɪs/ structure but may have a slightly more centralized vowel quality and a lighter l-sound depending on speaker. Across all, rhotics don’t affect /pleɪs/ since there is no rhotic vowel here; the main variation is vowel height and diphthong quality.

The difficulty lies in executing the short, explosive onset /p/ followed by the liquid /l/ without creating an intrusive vowel or beaucoup of aspiration, then gliding the diphthong /eɪ/ cleanly into the final /s/. In non-native ears, the tongue must move rapidly from a bilabial stop to a high front glide while maintaining a light, unvoiced alveolar fricative. Mastery requires precise timing and a strong, controlled /p/ onset.

Is the ‘l’ in place fully vocalized or can it function as a dark/light L in different dialects? In careful speech you’ll use a light, vocalized L after the /p/; in many American and British varieties the L is clear but not heavily palatalized. The key is maintaining the /l/ as a light, side-contact articulation before the /eɪ/ glide, not a vowel-splitting schwa or a heavy break.