2 syllables: souf, fles. Stress on souf.
SOO-flez
/ˈsuːflɛz/
souffles is pronounced SOO-flez (/ˈsuːflɛz/). It has two syllables (souf-fles), with the stress on "souf". Souffles is the plural of souffle, a light, airy baked dish made with beaten eggs and flavorings. The term denotes a delicate culinary creation and can refer to individual servings or multiple portions. In usage, it often appears in refined or restaurant contexts, or when discussing dessert and savory variations. The word carries a subtle French origin and a soft, aspirated ending that influences stress and vowel quality.
Souffles is the plural of souffle, a light, airy baked dish made with beaten eggs and flavorings. The term denotes a delicate culinary creation and can refer to individual servings or multiple portions. In usage, it often appears in refined or restaurant contexts, or when discussing dessert and savory variations. The word carries a subtle French origin and a soft, aspirated ending that influences stress and vowel quality.
- Misplacing the long /uː/ vowel (shortening it or misfusing with /oʊ/). Practice with minimal pairs: 'suite' vs 'suit' to feel vowel length; then insert /fl/ quickly. - Overly forced 'ff' or 'l' sounds; keep /ffl/ as a tight blend. - Ending with a soft /s/ rather than /z/; ensure voicing on the final sound. Correction tips: slow down to a steady rhythm, then rehearse with a metronome; record and compare to native audio; use shadowing to capture the natural flow from /uː/ to /flz/.
"The chef plated two individual souffles for the dessert course."
"In the cookbook, she explains how a perfect soufflé should rise without collapsing."
"They served a savory cheese soufflé as a main course with a crisp salad."
Pronounce as /ˈsuːflz/ in US and UK English; the word is stressed on the first syllable. The initial 'sou' sounds like 'soo,' the 'ff' is a double f sound as in 'coffee'—a labiodental fricative followed quickly by a voiceless bilabial stop transition? It’s a simple long vowel /uː/ followed by /fl/ (lip-to-teeth contact for f, then L). End with a voiced /z/ in English pluralization. Mouth position: start with a rounded, closed lips for /uː/ then move to /f/ with upper teeth on lower lip, then /l/ with tongue at alveolar ridge, finally /z/ with vocal cords vibrating. Listen for the smooth, quick transition from /uː/ to /fl/ and avoid adding an extra syllable.
Common errors: (1) Dropping the final 's' so it sounds like 'soufle' or 'suffl'—remember the plural /-z/. (2) Mispronouncing the /uː/ as a short /u/ or /oʊ/—keep the long 'oo' quality to avoid a stunted vowel. (3) Overemphasizing the 'ff' as a separate 'f-f' cluster or turning it into a fricative-blend; keep /fl/ compact. Correction tips: practice /ˈsuːflz/ with a steady /uː/ and quick /fl/ transition; use minimal pairs like 'swole' vs 'soul' to feel /uː/. Try recording and compare to native audio to ensure the z at the end is voiced.
US/UK/AU share the /ˈsuːflz/ structure, but there are subtle differences: /uː/ in US is close to British /uː/ but with different rhotics; UK listeners may hear a slightly tighter vowel and a more precise /l/; Australian English may show a more centralized vowel quality and a lighter /z/ voice onset time. The final /z/ tends to be clearer in American and Australian speech, while some UK speakers may reduce the ending slightly in casual contexts. Overall, the core is /ˈsuːflz/; regional variation mainly affects vowel height/length and consonant clarity.
The difficulty lies in maintaining the long /uː/ vowel quality while smoothly transitioning into the /fl/ cluster and ending with a voiced /z/. Non-native speakers often misplace the tongue for /fl/, producing /f/ followed by an unreleased /l/ or inserting an extra vowel between /uː/ and /fl/. Also, the plural -es can be pronounced as /-z/ or simply /-s/ in some dialects; aim for the voiced /z/ to match standard American pronunciation. Practice with quick syllable-taps to lock the sequence.
Focus on preserving the unobtrusive, single-syllable nucleus /uː/ and executing /fl/ as an immediate, crisp consonant blend without an intervening vowel. The -les is not pronounced as separate syllables; it’s /flz/ together with the z. Keep your lips rounded for /uː/ and relax the jaw as you roll into /f/. The final z should be audible but not harsh. This helps maintain the elegant, French-inflected sound that tastes like the dish itself.
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- US: emphasize rhotic vowels and a clear, voiced final /z/. /ˈsuːflz/ maintains a robust /ˌuː/ followed by /fl/ and /z/. - UK: maintain a crisp /l/ and a slightly tighter /ˈsuːflz/ with less vowel reduction and more precise consonant enunciation. - AU: tends toward a slightly more centralized /uː/ and a softer /z/, but still retains /ˈsuːflz/. Reference IPA: /ˈsuːflz/ across regions; ensure lip rounding for /uː/ and direct /f/+ /l/ transition; practice with vowel length emphasis and small jaw movement.
Souffles derives from the French word soufflé, meaning 'something blown up' or 'breath blown,' from the past participle of souffler, 'to puff, to blow on,' which itself comes from Latin sufflare, from sub- ‘blow under’ + flare ‘to blow.’ The term entered English culinary vocabulary in the early 19th century, often appearing in French cookbooks translated for English readers. The idea behind a soufflé hinges on incorporating air into a light mixture (typically eggs whipped to stiff peaks plus a base of milk, cheese, chocolate, or fruit) so that steam expands during baking, creating a rise. Over time, English usage adopted the plural souffles without adding diacritics, though the pronunciation in English preserves the French liaison and final -s as a plural marker rather than a separate syllable. In modern menus and cookbook writing, the word evokes French culinary elegance, while regional pronunciations may soften the final -s or alter the vowel timing depending on accent and tempo of speech.
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Words that rhyme with "souffles"
-les sounds
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