sur-PAS-iz
/sɚˈpæsɪz/
surpasses is pronounced sur-PAS-iz (/sɚˈpæsɪz/). Surpasses is a verb meaning to exceed, go beyond, or do better than something or someone. In usage, it often implies outperforming expectations or standards, sometimes by a noticeable margin. The form here is third-person singular present tense or plural past tense as in.
Surpasses is a verb meaning to exceed, go beyond, or do better than something or someone. In usage, it often implies outperforming expectations or standards, sometimes by a noticeable margin. The form here is third-person singular present tense or plural past tense as in
- You might default to a flat /s/ ending or miss the voiced /z/ at the end; ensure the final sound is /z/, not /s/ or a whispered ending. - The first syllable may sound like 'sær' or 'sur' if you over-articulate the /r/ or misplace the vowel; keep /ɚ/ or /ə/ in the first syllable and avoid an over-tense /ɜr/ sound. - In fast speech you may drop the vowel in the first syllable; practice the schwa to keep rhythm. Tip: isolate sur- (ə) + passes (pæs-ɪz) and gradually connect; record yourself.
"The new model surpasses all previous versions in reliability."
"Her argument surpasses anything I’ve heard on the topic."
"Sales this quarter surpasses projections, prompting a revised forecast."
You say /sɚ-ˈpæs-ɪz/ in US English, with stress on the second syllable: sur-PASS-es. The first syllable has a reduced vowel /ɚ/ (the “er” sound). In careful speech, keep the /p/ strong and the /s/ of the second syllable crisp. In UK/AU accents, it’s /sə-ˈpɑː-sɪz/ or /sə-ˈpɑː.sɪz/ depending on dialect; the second syllable still carries the primary stress, with the vowel in the first syllable lowered to /ə/ and the second syllable’s vowel lengthened slightly in non-rhotic speech. Audio cues: emphasize the /p/ stop and the following /æ/ or /ɑː/ depending on accent; end with /z/ rather than /s/.
Common mistakes: (1) pronouncing the second syllable as /pæs/ with weak following /ɪz/; (2) flattening the vowel in the first syllable to a pure /ɪ/ or /i/ instead of the schwa /ə/; (3) mixing up the final /ɪz/ with /əz/. Correction: keep the primary stress on the second syllable, produce a clear /p/ followed by a crisp /æ/ (or /ɑː/ in some accents) and finish with a voiced /z/. Practice by isolating the /pæ/ cluster then add the z-ending without letting the preceding vowel slide into laxness. Use minimal pairs to refine: sur-PASS-es vs sur-PASS-ess (noun variant) to feel the verb’s stress pattern.
In US English, the second syllable bears primary stress: /sɚ-ˈpæs-ɪz/, with a rhotic r and a clear /æ/ before the final /ɪz/. UK English often shifts vowel quality in the first syllable toward /ə/ (schwa), yielding /sə-ˈpɑː-sɪz/ or /sə-ˈpɑː-sɪz/ depending on dialect; the final /ɪz/ remains voiced. Australian English tends toward a similar pattern to UK but with potentially shorter vowel duration and less pronounced rhoticity in some speakers; nonetheless the stress remains on the second syllable. Across all, the critical feature is the center-stressed second syllable with a crisp /p/ onset and voiced final /z/.
Key difficulty lies in the two-syllable rhythm with heavy second-syllable stress, which makes the /p/ and /æ/ or /ɑː/ sequence vulnerable to vowel reduction and vowel length misstep. The combination /pæs/ followed by /ɪz/ can blur in fast speech; ensure a clean stop and a crisp /s/ leading into the final /ɪz/. Also manage the linking from the stressed syllable to the final -es to avoid a slurred /-s/ or a voiced ending that blends with the preceding consonant. Practicing in short phrases helps solidify the transition.
A key nuance is the difference between the verb form and potential noun-like misinterpretation as 'surpasses' the plural noun mismatch in casual speech; ensure the verb form has the third-person singular /-es/ ending realized as a final /-ɪz/ with voice, not an /-əz/ or /-s/ cluster. This ensures the meaning remains clear as an action (to surpass) rather than confusion with a noun form or other homograph. Emphasize the /ɪz/ ending in careful enunciation.
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- US: Rhotic /r/ is pronounced, so /sɚ-ˈpæs-ɪz/ with a clear r-colored vowel in the first syllable; ensure a strong stop on /p/ and a voiced final /z/. - UK: Non-rhotic tendencies may reduce the rhoticity; smoother schwa in the first syllable; ~/sə-ˈpɑː-sɪz/; keep vowel lengthened after /p/ to avoid /pæs/ collapsing. - AU: Similar to UK with less intrusive r; maintain two-syllable rhythm and a crisp /z/; be mindful of vowel quality differences: /ə/ vs /ɒ/ depending on speaker.
Surpasses derives from the verb surpass, formed in the late Middle English period from the prefix sur- (above, over) and the verb surpassen (to climb over, exceed), itself rooted in Old French suser? no reliable direct French cognate. The modern English suffix -es indicates third-person singular present or plural noun/verb form. The concept of surpassing appears in writings from the 15th century, often in legal and moral contexts, indicating overtaking or exceeding a standard. The semantic trajectory moved from physical overtopping to abstract exceeding (performance, standards). By the 18th-19th centuries, the term became common in business and scientific prose to denote surpassing benchmarks, with usage intensifying in technical and competitive domains. First known uses are documented in Middle English texts where surpass was used in physical sense (to go beyond) and later extended metaphorically to performance. The -es form followed standard English conjugation for third-person singular present and for plural or (less commonly) past tense forms in certain dialect writings. The word has remained stable in spelling while shifting in collocational weight—from literal overtopping to surpassing expectations, limits, or norms in diverse contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "surpasses"
-ses sounds
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