/ˈspaʊsɪz/
spouses is pronounced /ˈspaʊsɪz/. Spouses (plural noun) refers to married partners. In everyday use, it denotes the people who are legally or socially bound in marriage, or more loosely, a married couple as a unit. The term commonly appears in legal, social, and familial contexts, often paired with verbs like attend, file, or separate.
Say it backSpouses (plural noun) refers to married partners. In everyday use, it denotes the people who are legally or socially bound in marriage, or more loosely, a married couple as a unit. The term commonly appears in legal, social, and familial contexts, often paired with verbs like attend, file, or separate.
"The spouses announced their separation after 15 years of marriage."
"She and her spouse attended the charity gala together."
"In some cases, spouses sign consent forms for medical decisions."
Stress falls on the first syllable: SP-owz-iz. In IPA: US: ˈspaʊ.zɪz, UK/AU: ˈspɔː.sɪz or ˈspaʊ.sɪz depending on vowel shift. Start with an open back rounded vowel /aʊ/ or /ɔː/ followed by /zɪz/. Keep a light, voiced /z/ for the second syllable; the final /ɪz/ is a quick, unstressed ending. Visualize a small pause after SP to maintain clear syllable separation in careful speech.
Mistakes often include misplacing stress or sprawling the /ɔː/ or /aʊ/ vowel. People may say /ˈspäʊ.zɪz/ with an American /ä/ or mispronounce the final /ɪz/ as /ɪz/ in full, rather than a clipped /ɪz/. Correction: keep primary stress on SP, ensure the second syllable uses a short, reduced /ə/ or /ɪ/ before the final /z/; aim for /ˈspɔː.sɪz/ in UK style if using a broader /ɔː/ vowel, and lightly vowel-reduce the final syllable to /zɪz/.
US typically uses /ˈspaʊ.zɪz/ with diphthong /aʊ/ and a slightly longer first syllable. UK often leans toward /ˈspɔː.sɪz/ or /ˈspɒː.sɪz/ depending on regional vowelshift, with a more clipped first vowel in fast speech. Australian tends to a fronted short /ɔ/ or /aʊ/ depending on speaker; some speakers compress the final vowel to /ɪz/ quickly. In all cases, the final /z/ is voiced, and the second syllable is unstressed but audible.
Two challenges: the diphthong in the first syllable /aʊ/ or /ɔː/ can be tricky if your native language has a pure vowel, and the cluster /zɪz/ at the end requires a quick /z/ and a light /ɪ/ before it. Additionally, the plural /-zɪz/ ending isn’t always intuitive, as some dialects realize the final /ɪz/ as a quick schwa + z. Focus on maintaining a clean initial vowel and a sharp, easy /z/ before the final /ɪz/.
Pay attention to the transition between /z/ in the first syllable and /ɪz/ in the second; you should avoid running the z into the following syllable (no /zɪ/ merging). Also be mindful that some speakers reduce the second syllable so it sounds like /spɒː.sɪz/ or /spəʊ.sɪz/ when speaking quickly. Practicing with minimally paired words like 'spouse' vs 'spouses' helps you hear the added syllable and plural ending clearly.
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US differences: rhotic /r/ is not directly involved here, but you’ll hear more distinct diphthong /aʊ/ and slightly longer first syllable. UK: can use a flatter /ɔː/ in many dialects; second syllable may be less reduced in careful speech. AU: tends toward clearer /ɔː/ or /əʊ/ variants depending on region, with a relatively reduced second syllable and quick final /z/. IPA references: US /ˈspaʊ.zɪz/, UK /ˈspɔː.sɪz/, AU /ˈspəʊ.zɪz/ or /ˈspɔː.sɪz/ in some speakers. Tips: exaggerate the diphthong for drill, then neutralize in connected speech.
Spouses comes from the Middle English spousen, from the Old French espous, spous, which itself derives from the Latin sponsus, meaning ‘betrothed man’ or ‘groom.’ The root spons- conveys the idea of a pledging or binding agreement, as in a betrothal or a formal promise. By Middle English, spousen evolved into spous, spouse, with the modern plural spouses formed through typical English -es pluralization. The shift from a masculine-centered term to a gender-neutral plural occurred as legal and social language broadened to refer to both partners in a marriage. First known uses appear in medieval legal and literary texts where “spouse” denoted the pledged partner in a marriage, with “spouses” surfacing as a natural plural form in later centuries as property, rights, and social roles of married people became widely discussed in English prose. The word’s meaning broadened beyond strictly formal betrothal to include the couple as a living unit, a sense that persists in contemporary usage, including tax, inheritance, and social contexts. Etymologically, the term reflects the long-standing social institution of marriage and the language of partnership that accompanies it, evolving from a bilateral pledge to a plural, neutral reference to both people in a marriage.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "spouses" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "spouses" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "spouses"
-ses sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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