stawrz
/stɔɹz/
stores is pronounced stawrz (/stɔɹz/). Stores is a plural noun or verb form meaning places where goods are kept or sold, or the third-person singular present of store. In everyday use, it most often refers to shops or warehouses, or to retaining information or items. The pronunciation hinges on the final -z sound, linking to the preceding vowel in a way that can be mistaken for a voiceless ending.
Stores is a plural noun or verb form meaning places where goods are kept or sold, or the third-person singular present of store. In everyday use, it most often refers to shops or warehouses, or to retaining information or items. The pronunciation hinges on the final -z sound, linking to the preceding vowel in a way that can be mistaken for a voiceless ending.
"They went to several stores to compare prices."
"The stores are closed on Sundays, so plan ahead."
"She stores old postcards in a cedar chest for safekeeping."
Say /stɔːrz/ in US and UK typical speech, with the /st/ cluster released, the vowel as a broad /ɔː/ (like 'more'), and a voiced final /z/. In careful speech, ensure the /ɔː/ is long enough to separate from the /r/ before the final z in rhotic accents. Mouth: start with a rounded lips for /ɔː/ and a relaxed jaw; keep the tip of the tongue at the alveolar ridge for /t/, then release into /ɔː/ followed by the /z/. You’ll hear ‘stores’ rhyme with ‘doors’ and ‘scores.’
Common errors include shortening the vowel to a lax /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ in American practice and dropping the final /z/ to a voiceless /s/. Another frequent mistake is failing to voice the final /z/, producing /stɔːs/ which sounds like ‘staws.’ To correct: keep the vowel length and make sure the vocal folds vibrate for the /z/, not stop at /s/. Practice varying emphasis on the /t/ release to maintain a crisp onset.
In General American, /stɔːrz/ with a rhotic /r/ and a voiced final /z/. In many UK dialects, /stɔːz/ without an overt /r/; final sound leans toward /z/ but can be slightly more centralized. Australian speech tends to be similar to UK but with a more open /ɔː/ and a lightly released /t/ sometimes. The key differences: rhoticity and vowel quality; GA retains rhotic /r/ touching the /z/, UK tends to non-rhotic with a reduced /r/; AU sits between, but often retains strong /z/ at the end.
The difficulty lies in the sequence: a consonant cluster /st/ followed by a rounded back vowel /ɔː/ then a voiced fricative /z/. The final /z/ requires voicing and slight voice-on-lip contact; if you mispronounce as /s/ or /z/ incorrectly, it can blur with ‘stours’ or ‘stores’ becoming ambiguous. The linking from /t/ to /ɔː/ can be tricky, as some speakers combine /t/ and the rounded vowel. Focus on a clean /t/ release, a clear rounded /ɔː/ and a steady /z/.
A distinctive feature is the two-stage timbre: the /t/ release is brief but clear before the long /ɔː/ vowel, then a rapid transition into the voiced /z/. This makes the word feel compact yet carrying final voicing. In connected speech, you often link ‘stores’ with a following word starting with a vowel, producing boundary tapping or a smooth glottal stretch in many casual dialects. Practice: ‘the city stores all year’.
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US: /stɔːrz/ with rhotic /r/ and longer /ɔː/; UK: /stɔːz/ with non-rhotic /r/ and possibly shorter vowel; AU: /stɔːz/ with broad /ɔː/ and crisp /z/; note vowel quality: American /ɔ/ tends to be more open, UK /ɔː/ often closer to 'aw' in 'caught', AU similar to UK but with more centralized /ɜː/ tilting. Pay attention to final /z/ voicing; keep vocal folds lightly vibrating. IPA references align: US /stɔːrz/; UK /stɔːz/; AU /stɔːz/.
Stores comes from the Old French estor (to store, to lay up) via Latin storare, and later Middle English. The semantic arc moves from “to save” or “to lay up” to “a place where goods are kept,” and then specifically to shop façades or warehouses. In English, store as a noun denoted a place where goods are kept or sold, while as a verb it meant to put away for future use. Phonologically, stores is a plural noun or finite verb form with final z, derived from the base store with plural or third-person -s. First attestations in English appear in the late Middle Ages, with stable usage by Early Modern English. The word’s core sense—container, keeper, or place of goods—reflects economic and mercantile development, where inventory, storage, and access to goods required designated locales. Over time, “store” shifted to a generic retail location as commerce formalized, while “stores” as the plural retained both the sense of multiple locations and multiple items stored. The modern sense in everyday English thus merges historic “to keep” with contemporary retail and inventory practices. The pronunciation retains the voiced final fricative, linking to the plural suffix -s that is voiced in connected speech; this phonetic pattern is stable across varieties of English. Overall, the word’s journey tracks from preservation/laying up to commerce and retail, while preserving a compact, phonologically predictable ending.
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Words that rhyme with "stores"
-ore sounds
-oor sounds
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