/pɹoʊˈhɪbəts/
Say it backProhibits is the third-person singular present tense of prohibit, meaning to forbid something by rule or law. It denotes the act of preventing an action or activity. In usage, it often introduces a clause after verbs like
- You may stress the first syllable: focus on second syllable stress /prə-ˈhɪ-bɪts/. - Avoid a drawn-out first vowel; keep /ə/ compact. - Do not merge 'hibits' into 'habits' or misread as /ˈproh-ɪ-bɪts/; ensure /hɪ/ aligns with the stressed syllable. - Ensure the final /ts/ is crisp; avoid a soft /s/ or /t/ only. - Mouth position: keep tongue relaxed in initial /ə/, raise to /ɪ/ for 'hibits', and finish with a light touch for /t/ and /s/.
"The city prohibits smoking in all indoor facilities."
"The policy prohibits employees from sharing confidential information."
"This sign prohibits parking after 6 PM."
Pronounce as /prə-ˈhɪ-bɪts/ in US/UK; the primary stress falls on the second syllable: hi. The first 'pro-' is weak and reduced to /prə/. The 'hibits' portion rhymes with 'habits' but with a /ɪ/ vowel in the first on the stressed syllable and a final /ts/ sound. Tip: keep the 'h' light, don't aspirate heavily between hi and bits; end with a crisp /ts/ cluster. Audio references: you can compare with 'habits' or 'limits' for similar rhythm.
Common errors: placing stress on the first syllable as /ˈpro-hɪ-bits/ instead of the correct /prə-ˈhaɪ-bits/ (wait: address carefully). More accurate: correct stress is on the second syllable: /prə-ˈhɪ-bɪts/. Some learners mispronounce the middle vowel as /i/ in 'hibits' or insert an extra syllable, saying four syllables. Correction: keep /prə-ˈhɪ-bɪts/ with a short, quick second syllable and end with /ts/. Remember to maintain a light, dental-tongue contact for the /t/ and /s/ consonants together.
US/ UK/ AU share the same syllable set, but vowel qualities vary. US often has a quick /ə/ initial, with the 'hibits' part as /ˈhɪ-bɪts/ after the reduced first syllable; UK may have a slightly crisper /ˈhɪ/ with more length on the 'i' in 'hibits'; AU tends to be even more centralized in the first syllable; rhotics: US pronounces /r/ in 'pro', but 'pro' is typically /prə/ and doesn't include rhotic coloration. In all three, final /ts/ is crisp, not /s/. IPA: US /prəˈhaɪbɪts/ would be unusual; correct: /prə-ˈhɪ-bɪts/.
The difficulty centers on the tense-internal phoneme cluster: the /h/ following a reduced first syllable, the short /ɪ/ in the stressed second syllable, and the final /bɪts/ containing a voiced/voiceless transition (/b/ to /t/ to /s/). Learners often misplace stress or enunciate as /ˈproh-ɪ-bɪts/ with three syllables; keep it two clear syllables: /prə-ˈhɪ-bɪts/ with a light, quick onset of 'hibits' and an audible /t/ before /s/.
A common, word-specific question is whether the 'hibits' portion uses a long /ɪ/ or a short /ɪ/ in the stressed syllable. In standard pronunciation, it's a short /ɪ/ as in 'hit', with the emphasis on the second syllable. Distinguish from 'prohibit' with alternate stress pattern. The unique consideration here is the transition from base form to third-person singular; the -its ending remains constant, with /-bɪts/.
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- US: rhotic /r/ coloring in earlier segments is subtle; keep a clean /r/ only if followed by a vowel, otherwise not necessary. - UK: crisper, less vowel reduction; monitor for slightly saltier /ɪ/ and strong final /ts/. - AU: often more centralized vowel colors; keep /ə/ less rounded and maintain final /ts/ crispness; pronouncing with slightly higher jaw tension can help clarity. Reference IPA: /prəˈhɪ.bɪts/ (US/UK), /prəˈhɪ.bɪts/ (AU). - Vowel guidance: /ə/ in first syllable is schwa; /ɪ/ in stressed syllable is near-close near-high; /bɪts/ uses a short /ɪ/ and voiceless /t/ + /s/.
Prohibits derives from the Latin prohibēre, where pro- means forward, and habēre means to have or hold; thus, to prohibit is to hold something forward, i.e., to restrain. The Latin prohibēre evolved into Old French prohiber, then to Medieval Latin prohibere, and later into English as prohibit and prohibits. The sense of forbidding came to be associated with rules, decrees, and formal prohibitions. In English, prohibits first appeared in the 14th–15th centuries as a verb meaning to forbid. Over time, the form with -s emerged to mark third-person singular present (“he prohibits”) and later extended to other tenses. The word sits within a family of verbs that govern legality and moral or procedural constraints, sharing semantic fields with ban, forbid, and restrict. The pronunciation patterns stabilized in Modern English, with the stress on the second syllable in US and UK usage for the base form; the form with -its or -s follows typical third-person ending rules. Etymology note: Latin prohibēre combines pro- (forward) with habēre (to have); the bridge to prohibition in law comes from medieval usage of prohibere in religious and royal edicts expanding into civil and criminal contexts. First known use records in English legal language by the 15th century, solidifying the modern sense of forbidding action by rule, law, or policy.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "prohibits" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "prohibits"
-its sounds
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