sur-VEYE-vurz
/sɚˈvaɪvɚz/
survivors is pronounced sur-VEYE-vurz (/sɚˈvaɪvɚz/). Survivors refers to people who have continued to live or exist after a dangerous event, process, or difficult period. It emphasizes ongoing endurance rather than the initial act of surviving, and is often used in contexts involving risk, trauma, or disaster. The term can function as a noun (plural) describing individuals or groups who have endured hardship and continue to live with its aftereffects.
Survivors refers to people who have continued to live or exist after a dangerous event, process, or difficult period. It emphasizes ongoing endurance rather than the initial act of surviving, and is often used in contexts involving risk, trauma, or disaster. The term can function as a noun (plural) describing individuals or groups who have endured hardship and continue to live with its aftereffects.
"The survivors gathered to share their stories and support one another after the flood."
"Researchers studied the survivors of the expedition to understand long-term health impacts."
"Environmental disasters leave far fewer survivors than casualties, but these individuals often become advocates for change."
Pronounce as /ˈsɜː.vaɪ.vərz/ in US and UK. Lead with stressed first syllable SUR-, then the -vi- sounds as /vaɪ/ (like 'vie'), and finish with -vors /vərz/ or /vəz/ depending on rhythm and the speaker’s accent. In careful speech, the final z is voiced, but in rapid connected speech you may hear a light schwa. Tip: keep the vowel in /ɜː/ steady and avoid turning it into a short /ɜ/.
Two common errors: (1) misplacing stress by saying /ˈsɜːrˈvaɪ.vɚz/ with uneven emphasis; ensure primary stress on SUR-. (2) Slurring the middle /vaɪ/ into /va/ or mispronouncing the final /ərz/ as /ɚz/ or /ɪz/. Correction: isolate /vaɪ/ clearly, then finish with /vərz/ in careful speech, or /və/ in rapid speech. Practice slow, then speed up while maintaining the core vowel sounds.
US: /ˈ sɜːr.vaɪ.vɚz/ with rhotic /r/. UK: /ˈsɜː.vɪ.vəz/ or /ˈsɜːˈvaɪvəz/, with non-rhotic practices often reducing the final /z/ to a softer /z/. AU: /ˈsɜː.vaɪ.vəz/ with rhotic tendencies less pronounced; vowels may be broader and vowels in the first syllable can be centralized. The key differences: rhoticity, vowel quality of /ɜː/ vs /ɪ/ in the middle syllable, and the final syllable vowel quality.
The difficulty centers on two features: a three-syllable rhythm with a stressed first syllable, and the /ɜː/ to /ɜ/ variation in different dialects. The sequence /ˈsɜːr.vaɪ.vərz/ involves a hard /r/ following the first stressed syllable in rhotic accents, and a subtle /ər/ or /əz/ at the end. Mastery requires precise mouth shapes for /ɜː/, the diphthong /aɪ/, and the final /vərz/ cluster.
In 'survival' the stress is on the second syllable (sur-vi-VAL) whereas in 'survivors' the stress clearly lands on SUR- in the first syllable, and the word ends with an extra syllable -vors that adds a /z/ voiced ending. The plural -s adds a final /z/ or /s/ sound depending on the preceding sound; here it becomes /-ərz/ in many accents. This shift in syllable count and final consonant makes the plural louder in connected speech.
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US: rhotic, /ɜː/ as in 'her', final /ərz/ tends to be /ərz/. UK: non-rhotic, final /z/ may be softer; /ɜː/ may be longer. AU: vowel quality broader; postvocalic /r/ is weak; expect /ˈsɜː.vaɪ.vəz/ or /ˈsɜː.vaɪ.vərz/. Vowel contrasts: US generally keeps a stronger /ɜː/; UK can shift toward /ʌ/ in rapid speech. IPA: US /ˈsɜːˌvaɪvərz/, UK /ˈsɜːˌvaɪvəz/, AU /ˈsɜːˌvaɪvəz/.
Survivor comes from old French survivant, from sur- ‘over’ + survivre ‘to survive,’ from Latin super- ‘over, above’ + vivere ‘to live.’ The plural survivors follows the standard English plural formation with -s. In modern English, the term has broadened from legal or biological contexts to general usage for anyone who has lived through an event or condition that could have been fatal or life-altering. The word appears in print during the early modern period when narratives of exploration, conflict, and disaster became widespread; by the 20th century, it increasingly described people who have endured hardship, especially in medical, military, or disaster contexts. Its resonance lies in signaling not just life, but ongoing endurance, adaptation, and sometimes advocacy after trauma. The semantic shift emphasizes agency and continuity rather than mere survival, which is reflected in media, policy discussions, and personal narratives.
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Words that rhyme with "survivors"
-ers sounds
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