Sandals are open-toed, typically strapped footwear designed for warm weather. They expose the top of the foot and toes, prioritizing comfort and breathability over insulation or enclosure. In everyday use, “sandals” refers to casual summer footwear worn indoors or outdoors, often with lightweight, flexible soles suited for walking.
US: rhotic vowel quality and slightly stronger /æ/. UK: less rhotic influence in some accents; the /æ/ can be more open, and the final /z/ can be slightly more sibilant. AU: closer to US, but may demonstrate more clipped /d/ release and a more diffuse final /z/. IPA references: US /ˈsændəlz/, UK /ˈsændəlz/, AU /ˈsændəlz/. Focus on maintaining a crisp /d/ and a voiced /z/ without over-expanding the preceding vowel.
"I packed my sandals for the beach trip."
"The sandals started to slip as I walked on the sandy trail."
"She bought a pair of stylish leather sandals for the wedding."
"During our vacation, I wore sandals most days to stay cool."
The word sandals comes from the Old English sandal, which itself derives from the Latin sandalium, likely from the Greek sandalon. The root is linked to ancient footwear, with attested forms across Indo-European languages describing a strap- or thong-styled shoe worn by walking people. The Latin term sandalium referred to a sole-bound foot covering held by straps, while Greek uses sandalion. Over time, the English form evolved through Middle English as sandal, and pluralized to sandals to denote more than one. In many languages, a cognate exists with a similar strap-and-sole design, showing a long history of lightweight, open footwear in warm climates. The concept of sandals as casual, breathable footwear persisted through the medieval and modern periods, gaining popularity with leisure wear in the 19th and 20th centuries, including fashion iterations and athletic variants.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Sandals" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Sandals" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Sandals"
-als sounds
-les sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Sandals is pronounced with two syllables: /ˈsæn.dəlz/. The primary stress falls on the first syllable. The vowel in the first syllable is the short a as in 'cat'. The middle /ə/ is the unstressed schwa, and the final /lz/ is a voiced z-sound following a light /l/ release. In rapid speech, you may hear the /l/ slightly lighter before the /z/. Audio reference: consider listening to native speech on Pronounce or Forvo for examples in context.
Common errors include turning the first syllable into a longer vowel (e.g., /sæ̃ndəlz/), over-clarifying the /d/ before the final /əlz/, or dropping the final /z/. To correct: maintain the short /æ/ in the first syllable, keep a relaxed but audible /d/ before the schwa, and finish with a clear /z/ rather than choking on the /l/ release. Practice the sequence /s/ + /æ/ + /n/ + /.d/ + /əl/ + /z/ with light tap of the tongue on /d/ and a brief schwa before the /l/.”,
In US, UK, and AU, the word is rhotic and ends with /z/. Vowel timing differs slightly: US tends toward a quicker /æ/ and a tighter /ɪ/ in some dialects, UK often has a marginally more open /æ/ and less prominent rhoticity in non-rhotic accents (though most modern UK varieties maintain /ˈsændəlz/ with /z/). AU tends to be closer to US in vowel qualities, with a crisp final /z/. Overall, the first syllable remains stressed in all three.
The challenge lies in stringing together a short, near-closed vowel /æ/ with the alveolar nasal /n/ and a light, almost elusive /d/ before the schwa /ə/ and final /l/ plus /z/. Your tongue must quickly transition from alveolar nasal to alveolar stop, then glide into a schwa, and finally produce a voiced /z/ after an /l/. The subtlety of the /əl/ cluster and the final /z/ can cause a slurred or mis-timed finish without controlled timing and voicing.
A unique aspect is the subtle transition from /əl/ to /z/ in rapid speech: you effectively press the tongue to the alveolar ridge to voice the /z/ while not fully voicing the preceding /l/. Practically, you can practice the sequence as a quick, light /l/ followed by /z/ to avoid extraneous vowels. In careful speech, you will hear a crisp /l/ release before /z/; in casual speech, the /l/ may be barely audible while still keeping the /z/ clear.
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