/ɹɪˈvɝsɪz/
Say it backReverses is the third-person singular present tense or a plural noun form of reverse. As a verb, it means to turn something in the opposite direction or to change the order or outcome of events; as a noun, it refers to things that reverse or the reverse side of something. In grammar, it is used with singular subjects (he reverses) or as a plural noun (the reverses of the cards).
- You may overemphasize the first syllable, saying re-VERSE instead of re-VER-ses; keep the second syllable stressed. - Mispronounce the middle vowel as /eɪ/ or /e/; aim for /ɜː/ (US /ɜ˞/). - Final -es should be /ɪz/, not /z/; ensure the /z/ voice is present and not devoiced. - Don’t slide into /vɜːrsɪz/ with a heavy American rhotic /r/ if you’re non-rhotic; keep the non-rhotic /r/ system in UK. - Slurring the /s/ into /z/ or running the /ɪ/ into the final cluster; practice with pauses between /r/ and /s/.
"He reverses the car carefully into the driveway."
"The pendulum reverses direction at the end of each swing."
"The team reverses the strategy after reviewing the data."
Pronounce as /rɪˈvɜːr.sɪz/ in US and UK IPA. The stress sits on the second syllable: re-VER-ses. Begin with /r/ followed by a short, lax /ɪ/ vowel, then /v/; the central vowel /ɜː/ in the US/UK variants. The final /z/ is voiced; ensure the syllable boundary between /vɜːr/ and /sɪz/ is clear. For Americans, the /ɜːr/ approximates /ɜ˞ɹ/ with rhoticity; in UK, /ɜː/ is non-rhotic and not followed by a rhotic /r/ sound. Audio reference: you can compare with Cambridge dictionary audio samples.
Common errors: misplacing stress (putting stress on the first syllable as in re-VERSE), mispronouncing the middle vowel as /ə/ or /eɪ/; de-voicing the final /z/ turning into /s/; slurring /rɪˈvɜːrsɪz/ to /rɪˈvärsɪz/. Corrections: keep stress on the second syllable /ˈvɜːr/ with a clear /ɜː/ vowel in non-rhotic accents; ensure the /z/ is voiced and the /s/ sound in the second half is /z/ rather than /s/. Practice with minimal pairs: reverse vs reverses; pay attention to the transition from /rɪ/ to /ˈvɜːr/ and avoid adding extra syllables.
US: rhotic /r/ in /rɪˈvɜːr.sɪz/, with clear /ɜːr/ and /z/; speed may blur into /ˈvɜr/ quickly. UK: non-rhotic /r/ after vowels, so /rɪˈvɜːsɪz/ may sound like /ɪˈvɜːsɪz/ with minimal rhotic coloring; final /z/ is clear. AU: similar to US but with slightly taller vowel height and more centralized /ɜː/; may glide toward /əː/ in rapid speech. IPA guidance: US /rɪˈvɜːr.sɪz/, UK /rɪˈvɜːsɪz/, AU /rɪˈvɜːsɪz/ with mild rhotics and vowel shifts.
Difficult because of the multi-phoneme sequence: /r/ onset, /ɪ/ vowel, /ˈvɜːr/ vowel with rhotic or non-rhotic realization, then /sɪz/ with a voiced final /z/ following a consonant cluster. The transition between /vɜːr/ and /sɪz/ requires a crisp boundary; keeping the /r/ distinct (in rhotic accents) vs. smoothing it out in non-rhotic accents. Mastery relies on clear syllable-timing and maintaining voicing on the final /z/.
Reverses uniquely combines an initial /r/ with a stressed /ˈvɜːr/ vowel block and a trailing /sɪz/ that requires a stable /z/ voice. The challenge is the mid-syllable /ɜːr/ combined with the following /sɪz/, which can bleed if you don’t release the /s/ properly. Also, the plural ending -es is pronounced /ɪz/ after a fricative/voiceless consonant context, requiring precise voicing contrast.
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- US: retain rhotic /r/ and clear /ɜːr/; ensure the /ɜː/ vowel is full and not reduced. - UK: non-rhotic; the /r/ is less audible; the /ˈvɜː/ vowel is lengthened; keep /sɪz/ crisp. - AU: similar to US but vowel qualities can be a touch more centralized; be mindful of /ɜː/ length. - IPA references: /rɪˈvɜːr.sɪz/ US; /rɪˈvɜːsɪz/ UK; /rɪˈvɜːsɪz/ AU. - Practice tip: record yourself and compare to model pronunciations in dictionaries.
The verb reverse comes from Old French reverser, from Latin re- ‘back’ + vertere ‘to turn’. The sense “to turn back” evolved in Middle English through Norman influence, shifting toward the mathematical/ directional sense of turning in the opposite direction. The noun form reverses emerged as a back-formation in English from the verb, denoting things that reverse or the plural of the act of reversing. Early uses appear in legal and technical English where reversing a decision or direction was described; by the 17th–18th centuries the term broadened to general usage: to reverse a move, policy, or process. The present-tense third-person singular reverses is common in everyday speech, while the noun form is common in discussions of outcomes, mechanisms, or the plural objects that perform reversal.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "reverses" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "reverses" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "reverses"
-ses sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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