Sexes as a noun refers to the categories of male and female, or biological distinctions between the two. It also appears in phrases like “the sexes” to denote men and women collectively. The word emphasizes differences in biology, reproduction, or social roles, depending on context. Pronunciation stresses the first syllable and results in a plural noun that often pairs with verbs like are or divide in discourse.
US: /ˈsɛkˌsiːz/ with clear /ɛ/ in first syllable and long /iː/; rhoticity minimal in this word. UK: /ˈsek.sɪz/ with a slightly shorter second syllable and less vowel duration; AU: /ˈseɡ.sɪz/ in some speakers due to vowel fusion; keep /iː/ distinct where possible. Reference IPA, watch for vowel quality differences: US tends to tenser /e/ vs UK’s slightly closer-mid /e/; final /z/ voiced across accents.
"There are differences between the sexes in response to certain stimuli."
"The school conducted a survey on attitudes across the sexes."
"In many species, the sexes occupy different ecological niches."
"The study found similar cognitive abilities across the sexes."
Sexes originates from the Latin word sexus, meaning ‘gender, sexual distinction, or sex’. The term entered Old French as sexe and later Middle English, maintaining the core idea of biologically defined categories. Early usage framed sex as a biological characteristic (male/female), which broadened in later centuries to cover gendered concepts and social roles. The plural form ‘sexes’ developed as a standard way to refer to the two biological categories collectively or, in plural, to discuss differences and roles between men and women in diverse contexts—biology, sociology, and law. The shift from biological descriptor to social construct terminology occurred gradually through modern sociology and gender studies, with the sense of “the sexes” often used in academic, policy, and cultural analyses to denote male and female groups in aggregate. First known uses appear in Latin texts circulating in medieval academic circles, with English adoption accelerating in the 16th to 18th centuries as European scholars codified gendered language for scientific and legal discourse.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Sexes" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Sexes"
-xes sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as /ˈsɛkˌsiːz/. First syllable has a stressed short-e vowel /ɛ/ as in “bet,” then a syllable with /k/ followed by /siː/ (long ee). The final /z/ is voiced. Accentually, you can reduce the middle vowel slightly in fast speech, but keep the /ek/ clearly separated before the /siːz/. Practice with the two-syllable rhythm: SECK-seez. Listen to native models to hear the precise /ˈsɛk/ onset and the /siːz/ coda.
Common errors include: misplacing the primary stress (alternating with /ˈseksɪz/), mispronouncing the /k/ before /siːz/ (pronouncing /ks/ as a harder cluster or aspirating poorly), and shortening the final /z/ into a voiceless /s/ in rapid speech. Correct by emphasizing /ˈsɛk/ first, ensuring the /k/ is released before the //siː/ sequence, and voicing the final /z/ clearly. Practice with slow, then medium tempo to lock in the final voiced z.
US tends to maintain /ˈsɛkˌsiːz/ with a clear /e/ in the first syllable and a long /iː/ in the second. UK often reduces the first vowel slightly toward /e/ and may vowel-consonant linkings change with flapping less common in this word due to final z; AU mirrors US, but with slightly less rhotic influence in connected speech. Overall, all share the /ˈsɛk/ onset and /siːz/ coda; only subtle vowel length and centering vary.
The difficulty stems from the two-syllable structure with a strong first-syllable onset /s/ + /ɛk/ cluster and a final voiced fricative /z/. The middle /k/ release before /siːz/ can blur in fast speech, and the long /iː/ in the second syllable requires precise mouth shaping to avoid a reduced vowel. Maintaining the voiced final /z/ at the end, without devoicing in rapid speech, is a common challenge.
Does the word 'Sexes' ever pronounce with a 'ks' sequence that sounds like 'sex-ess' in some rapid speech? No. In standard pronunciation the cluster is /ˈsɛk/ (with the hard /k/ released) followed by /siːz/. In natural connected speech, you won’t typically hear a separate /k/ vocalization; it blends into the /siːz/ sequence, but you still maintain the /k/ release before the /s/ onset.
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