/ɹɪˈzɛmbəlz/
Say it backResembles is the verb meaning to bear a similarity to someone or something; to look like or be akin to. It describes a similarity in appearance, character, or function between two or more items. The form resembles, with -s for third-person singular, is used in present-tense contexts and implies ongoing likeness rather than exact replication.
"The new sculpture resembles the classical works of Rodin, though it has a modern twist."
"Her handwriting resembles her grandmother's, though the strokes are a bit more hurried."
"These two species resemble each other closely in leaf shape but differ in flower color."
Resembles is pronounced /rɪˈzɛm.bəlz/ in US and UK, with stress on the second syllable. Break it as re-SEM-bles. The first syllable is a quick 'ri' /rɪ/, the second carries the main stress, with /ˈzɛm/ rhyming with 'stem.' The final syllable is a light, rhotacized /-bəlz/ in some accents and /-blɪz/ in others. In careful speech, you’ll hear /ˈrɪ.zɛm.blɪz/ or /rɪˈzɛm.blɪz/ depending on dialect.
Two frequent errors: (1) Misplacing the stress, saying re-SEM-blez with even emphasis; (2) Shortening the second syllable or producing /ˈrɛzɛm/ instead of /rɪˈzɛm/; (3) Pronouncing the -bles as /blɛz/ or /bliz/ without linking the /l/ and /z/. Correction: place primary stress on the second syllable: /rɪˈzɛm.bləlz/; ensure the consonant cluster is tight between /m/ and /b/; end with a clear /z/ or a light /s/ depending on the following sound.
In General American, you’ll typically hear /rɪˈzɛm.blɪz/, with a slightly reduced second vowel and a clear /z/ at the end. In Received Pronunciation, the final /z/ may be realized more softly or as a voiced alveolar fricative with subtle vowel length changes: /rɪˈzɛm.blɒs/ in some speakers depending on regional variation. Australian English tends to maintain a broader /ɪ/ in the first vowel and a rhotic-esk tendency in linked speech, often sounding /rɪˈzɛm.blɜːz/ in continuous speech. Focus on keeping the second syllable stressed and the final /z/ voiced.
The difficulty comes from the two consonant clusters: /z/ following /m/ across a syllable boundary and the need to place primary stress on the second syllable while keeping the first unstressed. Also, the vowel in the second syllable can reduce in fast speech, slipping toward /ə/ or a clipped /e/. The trick is to articulate a crisp /zɛm/ with the /m/ snuggled into /bl/ cluster that begins the final syllable, then release into /z/ smoothly.
No. The spelling reflects pronunciation, with the -es producing the final /z/ sound in present-tense forms. The challenge is not silent letters but the articulation of the final /z/ while preserving the middle /zɛm/ sequence and avoiding vowel reduction that dulls the second syllable.
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Resemble comes from Middle French resemble, from Late Latin similare 'to imitate, resemble,' which in turn derives from Latin similis 'like, similar.' The Latin root similis yielded English forms indicating likeness. The concept of resemblance in English literature emerges in the 14th–15th centuries as scholars sought words to compare appearances, traits, or functions. Over time, resemble broadened from literal visual likeness to figurative similarity in behavior or characteristics, especially in academic and descriptive prose. By the 17th and 18th centuries, resemble entered common usage in philosophical and scientific writing to indicate affinity between objects, specimens, or ideas. The suffix -able in resemble is part of a productive pattern in English that forms adjectives and verbs indicating capability or tendency; however, resemble is a standard verb rather than a derived adjective. First known uses appear in early Modern English texts where writers compared artworks, species, and phenomena, laying the groundwork for the nuanced modern usage that includes both concrete appearance and abstract similarity.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "resembles" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "resembles"
-ies sounds
-les sounds
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