2 syllables: Spi, ces. Stress on Spi.
SPEYE-suhz
/ˈspaɪsəz/
Spices is pronounced SPEYE-suhz (/ˈspaɪsəz/). It has two syllables (Spi-ces), with the stress on "Spi". Spices (noun) are aromatic substances, such as seeds, herbs, or bark, used to flavor food. The word also refers to a variety of flavorings derived from plants. In cooking, spices are typically added in small amounts to enhance aroma, taste, and complexity, sometimes alongside salt or other seasonings.
nounSpices (noun) are aromatic substances, such as seeds, herbs, or bark, used to flavor food. The word also refers to a variety of flavorings derived from plants. In cooking, spices are typically added in small amounts to enhance aroma, taste, and complexity, sometimes alongside salt or other seasonings.
How to Pronounce Spices
"She added a pinch of cumin and several spices to give the curry its depth."
"The chef used a blend of spices to marinate the meat overnight."
"They grow many spices in the tropical garden and dry them for winter use."
Spices is pronounced /ˈspaɪ.sɪz/ in US, UK, and AU accents. The primary stress falls on the first syllable: SPY-ss. The second syllable contains a short, unstressed /ɪ/ before the final /z/ sound. Be mindful of linking or slight assimilation when spoken quickly: you may hear careful enunciation as /ˈspaɪs.ɪz/ in fast speech. Practice by saying ‘spy’ + ‘sizzles’ without a strong pause to feel the sequence. IPA: US/UK/AU /ˈspaɪ.sɪz/.
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress (saying spiCES), and turning the first syllable into a longer vowel like /iː/ instead of /aɪ/. Another frequent error is voicing the second syllable’s z as a /s/ or not releasing the final /z/. Correction: keep the first syllable stressed with /aɪ/ as in ‘spy,’ and end with a voiced /z/ for /ɪz/. Practice minimal pairs: spy- vs spice; practice the transition from /aɪ/ to /ɪ/ smoothly.
In US/UK/AU, /ˈspaɪ.sɪz/ remains consistent: primary stress on the first syllable and a short /ɪ/ in the second. The main difference is rhoticity and vowel quality elsewhere in connected speech; spices itself is not rhotic. In fast speech you may hear linking or slight reduction, but the core is the first-stressed /ˈspaɪ/ followed by /sɪz/. Some speakers may reduce /ɪz/ to /ɪz/ with a clearer voicing, especially in careful speech.
The difficulty lies in the transition from the long diphthong /aɪ/ in /ˈspaɪ/ to the short /ɪ/ in /sɪz/, which requires precise tongue height changes. Also, the final /z/ is voiced and can be confused with an /s/ in rapid speech. The cluster /s/ + /ɪ/ can blur when speaking quickly, so you want a crisp /s/ release followed by a clear /ɪ/ before the final /z/. It’s a small but precise shift.
Yes, the strong first-syllable stress and the internal vowel transition from /aɪ/ to /ɪ/ are distinctive. Emphasizing the diphthong in the first syllable helps avoid conflating with ‘spice’ /spaɪs/ (singular) which lacks the final /ɪz/. Ensure you release the final /z/ with voicing, not an unvoiced /s/. The combination of stress, diphthong height, and voiced final consonant makes the pronunciation uniquely identifiable.
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Spices comes from the Old French espece, meaning ‘a kind, category, or spice,’ eventually from Latin species meaning ‘kind, sort’ or ‘appearance, form.’ The broader sense of ‘spice, seasoning’ developed in medieval Europe with trade routes bringing spices from Asia and Africa, especially pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. In English, spice as a general term for flavor-enhancing substances emerges in the 13th century; by the 14th–15th centuries, the plural spices referred to a variety of aromatic plant-derived additives. The word evolved to emphasize not just aroma but also the variety and potency of flavor enhancers, aligning with culinary global trade. Over time, spices became central to cuisine, medicine, and preservation. First known use in English dates to late Middle English sources around the 13th century, with increasing specificity in the 16th–18th centuries as Europeans catalogued spices from different regions. Today, ‘spices’ encompasses seeds, bark, roots, and dried fruits used to flavor foods, fragrances, and beverages, retaining its plural form to reflect the diversity of flavor agents.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Spices" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Spices" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Spices"
-ces sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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