Relatives is a plural noun referring to family members related by blood or marriage. In everyday use, it can describe people within a family network, or more broadly, kin. The term often appears in discussions of family ties, genealogy, or social contexts where relatives are mentioned or contrasted with non-relatives.
"My relatives are coming to the reunion next weekend."
"She stayed with her relatives after moving to a new city."
"We found photos of long-lost relatives in the attic."
"During the trip, we met several distant relatives we hadn’t heard about."
Relatives comes from the Latin word relatives, from relat- (to bring back, relate) + -es, a plural suffix. The base verb relate traces to late Latin relatāre, meaning to recount or bring back a relation of things. In English, relate evolved into a noun via -ive + -s, signaling multiple instances of relating or being related. The concept of kinship, or familial connection, has long been central to social organization, and “relatives” has been used in English since at least the 15th century to designate people connected by blood or marriage. Over time, usage broadened slightly to include more distant kin and even figurative relations (as in “relatives” of ideas or analogs in other domains). The pronunciation has remained relatively stable, with the initial stress on the first syllable, reflecting the common English pattern for compound or plural nouns built from “relate” plus -ves, though historical shifts in vowel quality have produced the modern /ˈrɛlətɪvz/ in many dialects.
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Words that rhyme with "Relatives"
-ves sounds
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Relatives is pronounced with the primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈrɛl.ə.tɪvz/ (US) or /ˈrel.ə.tɪvz/ (UK). The sequence is three syllables: REL-ah-tivz, with a quick, unstressed middle schwa. Mouth position starts with a relaxed jaw, the lips neutral, the first vowel open-mid front, and the final -vz as a voiced labiodental fricative followed by a voiced alveolar z. You’ll often hear a subtle reduction in the second syllable in fast speech.
Common errors include stressing the wrong syllable (rel-AT-ives instead of REL-ah-tives) and over-articulating the middle syllable, making the word sound like rela-TIVES. Another frequent issue is merging the second and third syllables too quickly, causing /ˈrɛl.ə.tɪvz/ to blur into /ˈrɛl.tɪvz/. To correct, practice a clear REL-uh-tivz with a soft, quick middle vowel and separate syllable timing.
In US English, REL-uh-tivz with a pronounced first vowel and a lighter final -z can sound less clipped in fast speech. UK English tends to keep a slightly crisper /ˈrel.ə.tɪvz/ with non-rhoticity in some speakers, but in most varieties it remains rhotic. Australian English mirrors US patterns but may have a more centralized second vowel and a somewhat broader /ɐ/ in the final syllable depending on speaker. Overall, the main differences are vowel quality and the degree of schwa reduction.
The difficulty lies in the cluster across three syllables with a reduced middle vowel. The sequence /ˈrɛ.lə.tɪvz/ requires maintaining three distinct vowel sounds while keeping smooth, quick transitions between syllables. The trailing /-tɪvz/ can blur with the preceding schwa if you rush. Tactile feedback on the teeth and lips helps: a clear initial /r/ and a soft, quick /ə/ in the middle avoid cramping the flow.
Does 'Relatives' ever pronounce the second vowel as a stronger schwa or a reduced vowel? In standard varieties, the second syllable typically uses a reduced schwa /ə/ (the middle vowel), but some speakers, especially in careful speech or certain dialects, produce a clearer /ə/ or even a slight /ɪ/ in the second syllable depending on tempo and emphasis.
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