pree-SKREYEBZ
/pɹisˈkɹaɪbz/
prescribes is pronounced pree-SKREYEBZ (/pɹisˈkɹaɪbz/). Prescribes is the verb form meaning to authorize or order the use of something (typically medicine) for someone. It indicates a clinician’s directive or a formal recommendation. The word carries a precise, professional tone and appears in medical, legal, and administrative contexts when detailing the course of treatment. It is the third-person singular present of prescribe.
Prescribes is the verb form meaning to authorize or order the use of something (typically medicine) for someone. It indicates a clinician’s directive or a formal recommendation. The word carries a precise, professional tone and appears in medical, legal, and administrative contexts when detailing the course of treatment. It is the third-person singular present of prescribe.
"The doctor prescribes antibiotics for the infection."
"The nurse prescribes a daily regimen to manage the chronic condition."
"Federal guidelines prescribe how much relief funding should be allocated."
Pronounce as /prɪˈskraɪbz/ (US) or /prɪˈskraɪbz/ (UK/AU). The stress is on the second syllable: pre-SCRIBES with a clear, secondary vowel dip into the /aɪ/ in the ‘scribe’ portion. Start with /prɪ/ (short i), then /ˈskraɪ/ (rhymes with ‘cry’), and end with /bz/ (a voiced z). Keep the /r/ smooth, avoid an extra syllable, and ensure the final /z/ voice is crisp. Audio examples: search ‘prescribes’ in Pronounce or Forvo for native pronunciation reference.
Common mistakes include flattening the /ɪ/ to a schwa in the first syllable (saying ‘pruh-scribes’), overemphasizing the /s/ before the /k/, and mispronouncing the final /bz/ as /b/ or /z/ only. Correct by maintaining the short /ɪ/ in the first syllable, producing /skraɪ/ as a tight cluster with forward tongue position, and sealing the final voiced /bz/ with voiced vibration of the lips and vocal folds. Practice with minimal pairs like ‘prizes’ and ‘prescribes’ to hear the difference in the consonant cluster at the boundary.
In US, you’ll hear /prɪˈskraɪbz/ with rhotic r and a clear /ɪ/ in the first syllable. UK and AU variants typically preserve /ɪ/ as in 'kit' and /ˈskraɪbz/ in the stressed syllable, with less pronounced rhoticity in careful speech. The main variation lies in the articulation of the /r/ (rhotic in US, non-rhotic in some UK varieties before vowels, more approximant-like) and vowel quality in /ɪ/ and /aɪ/. In fast connected speech, the sequence /skr/ may reduce slightly, but the /aɪ/ diphthong remains prominent across regions.
The difficulty centers on the consonant cluster /skr/ followed by /aɪ/ and the final voiced /bz/. The /skr/ sequence demands precise tongue placement and rapid contact of the tongue tip to the alveolar ridge while initiating the /s/ without voicing, then smoothly transition to /k/ and the /raɪ/ diphthong. The final /bz/ requires maintaining voicing through the lip closure with the b-z combination, which can be tricky in rapid speech. Mastery comes from slow-practice of the cluster and then speed maintenance.
A unique aspect is the letter combination -scribe- inside the word, which creates the /skraɪb/ sound group, yet the suffix -es adds a final /z/ rather than /s/ in this verb form. Speakers often misplace the stress or mispronounce the cluster as /prɪˈskrɪbz/ by substituting /rɪ/ for /raɪ/. Emphasize the /aɪ/ diphthong and keep the word’s stress on the second syllable: pre-SCRIBES. Practicing with the IPA and slow drills helps solidify the boundary between /skraɪ/ and /bz/.
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Prescribes comes from the verb prescribe, which derives from the Latin prae- ‘before’ + scribere ‘to write’ and originally meant to write beforehand or authorize in writing. In Latin, prae-scribere combined to mean prewrite or prescribe, with the sense of laying down rules or orders in official or authoritative form. The term entered Old French and then Middle English in the sense of “to lay down or set down” a rule or medication, evolving into the modern medical sense of authorizing a drug or treatment. The core notion remained: an authoritative instruction written or formally issued. First known uses in English trace to the 15th–16th centuries, where the compound carried bureaucratic and legal weight, often in the context of medicine and law. Over time, prescribe shifted from broad rules to the specific medical act of directing therapy, while the verb’s conjugations preserved the imperative and instructive nuance. The modern usage focuses on clinical authority and the formal act of designating a treatment plan for a patient.
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Words that rhyme with "prescribes"
-bes sounds
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