SPEYE-durz
/ˈspaɪdɚz/
spiders is pronounced SPEYE-durz (/ˈspaɪdɚz/). Spiders are arachnids with eight legs and fangs capable of injecting venom. This word refers to multiple individuals of the species, or to the animal group in general. It is commonly used in everyday language to describe the creatures found in homes, gardens, or literature, and can also function in metaphorical expressions.
Spiders are arachnids with eight legs and fangs capable of injecting venom. This word refers to multiple individuals of the species, or to the animal group in general. It is commonly used in everyday language to describe the creatures found in homes, gardens, or literature, and can also function in metaphorical expressions.
"The attic was filled with tiny spiders weaving delicate webs."
"She learned about how spiders spin silk as part of the biology lesson."
"I accidentally brushed against a web and saw several spiders scatter."
Pronounce as /ˈspaɪ.dərz/ in US and UK standard; the first syllable carries primary stress. In rapid speech, you may hear a reduced second syllable /ˈspaɪ.dɚz/ in non-stressed contexts. Begin with /s/ then /paɪ/ (like 'spy'), followed by the voiced alveolar stop /d/ and a relaxed /ər/ vowel before the final /z/. Mouth: raise the tongue to the alveolar ridge for /d/, keep a relaxed /ɚ/ in unstressed syllables, and let the final /z/ voice clearly. Audio resources: Cambridge/Oxford dictionaries provide native-speaker audio; Forvo is useful for regional variants.
Common errors: misplacing the /aɪ/ as /a/ or flat 'spi-ders' without the diphthong; pronouncing the final -s as /s/ instead of /z/ in fluent speech; softening the /d/ to a tap or glottal stop in rapid speech. Correction tips: hold the /aɪ/ as a clear diphthong from /a/ to /ɪ/ with a smooth glide; voice the final /z/ with vocal fold vibration, especially when preceding a vowel or a voiced consonant in rapid speech; avoid reducing the /d/—keep a full alveolar /d/ before the /ɚ/ and final /z/.
In US English, /ˈspaɪ.dərz/ with a rhotic /ɹ/ color in the /dər/ segment and a voiced final /z/. In UK English, you may hear /ˈspaɪ.dəz/ with a shorter /ə/ and less rhotic coloration, sometimes a weakly pronounced /r/. Australian English typically features /ˈspʌɪ.dəz/ or /ˈspaɪ.dəz/ with a non-rhotic accent and a more centralized vowel in the second syllable depending on speaker. The key is the final /z/ and the vowel in the second syllable; the /d/ remains alveolar in all varieties.
The difficulty lies in balancing the diphthong /aɪ/ and the short, unstressed second syllable /ər/ or /ə/. The /d/ transition before the /ər/ can be tricky when talking quickly, and the final /z/ needs to be voiced while maintaining air flow. In some accents the /ər/ reduces to a schwa, causing potential mis-timing of the /z/. Practice helps coordinate tongue height for /aɪ/, d-tap release, and voiced fricative /z/.
Yes. The plural suffix -s surfaces as a voiced /z/ in most contexts after voiced consonants or vowels, but after voiceless clusters it can be pronounced as /s/. In 'spiders,' the final /z/ follows /ər/; ensure voicing is maintained rather than devoicing in rapid speech. The primary stress remains on the first syllable; avoid shifting stress to the second syllable in natural speech patterns.
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Spiders comes from Middle English spydre, derived from Old English spīdre or spīder, from Proto-Germanic *spīdra- which itself traces to the Proto-Indo-European root *spei- or *sp(e)dh- meaning to spin or twist. The term likely reflects the spider’s silk-producing ability and the familiar six- or eight-legged appearance noted by early English speakers. Over centuries, the word shifted in spelling and pronunciation through Middle English to Early Modern English, aligning with regional dialects. First attested in writing in the medieval period, the word has since become the standard English label for the order Araneae, with historical associations ranging from superstition to scientific observation. In many languages, the creature is named with cognate terms linked to weaving or venom, underscoring a cross-cultural recognition of spiders as silk-spinning, predatory arachnids.
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Words that rhyme with "spiders"
-ers sounds
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