SWAH-lohz
/ˈswɑloʊz/
swallows is pronounced SWAH-lohz (/ˈswɑloʊz/). Swallows is a plural noun or third-person singular verb meaning birds of the swallow family or the act of taking something in by swallowing. In both senses, the word typically appears in natural speech with clear voicing on the final syllable, and it can function as a noun (the swallows) or a verb (he swallows). The pronunciation stays consistent across contexts, though the surrounding stress and intonation may shift with grammar.
Swallows is a plural noun or third-person singular verb meaning birds of the swallow family or the act of taking something in by swallowing. In both senses, the word typically appears in natural speech with clear voicing on the final syllable, and it can function as a noun (the swallows) or a verb (he swallows). The pronunciation stays consistent across contexts, though the surrounding stress and intonation may shift with grammar.
"The swallows returned to the riverbank at dusk."
"She swallows a pill with a gulp of water."
"The birds swallows the insects mid-flight."
Pronounce as /ˈswɒl.əz/ in US/UK/AU contexts. The first syllable bears primary stress: SWAL- (swal). The vowel in the first syllable is a short, open o as in 'swat,' not a long 'wa' as in 'saw.' The second syllable is a reduced schwa with a voiced z ending: -lōz sounds like 'luhz' but with z. Make sure the final /z/ is voiced and not devoiced in rapid speech.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (swa-LOWZ vs. SWAL-ows), mispronouncing the first vowel as a long 'ow' as in 'low' instead of the short 'o' in 'sock,' and dropping the final z into an s or sibilant without voicing. Correct by: keeping primary stress on the first syllable, using the short rounded /ɒ/ in the first vowel, and ensuring the final /z/ is clearly voiced (not /s/). Practice with minimal pairs like SWAL-ows vs SWAL-ows-free to feel the contrast.
In US/UK/AU, the first syllable remains stressed with /ɒ/ or /ɒ/ depending on the speaker, but rhotacization and vowel length can vary: US may have a slightly narrower /ɒ/; UK often shows a crisper /ɒ/ in swallows, and AU may shift vowel quality slightly toward /ɒ/ with a stronger schwa influence in the second syllable. The final /z/ remains voiced across accents. Overall rhythm and length of the first vowel can differ, but the swallows’ stress pattern stays SWAL-ows.
The difficulty lies in coordinating the closed back vowel /ɒ/ with a quick, high-energy /z/ ending, and in ensuring the plural sound matches the verb form when form varies in context. Speakers often misproduce the second syllable as /ləʊz/ or /ləz/ and may devoice the final /z/ to /s/. Focus on releasing a crisp /z/ without lenition and maintain stable jaw positioning to avoid an over-elongated or reduced second syllable.
There is no silent letter in swallows. Every letter contributes to the standard pronunciation: s-w-a-l-l-o-w-s yields SWAL-LOWS with sounds S-W-A-L as the onset, followed by a syllabic -ows ending in the voiced /z/. The double 'l' signals a light l-l articulation in the onset but does not silence any letter. The final 's' is not silent, it becomes a voiced /z/ in this word.
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The word swallow originates from Old English swallowan, from Proto-Germanic swalwanan, related to Dutch zwaluwen and German Schwalbe (though Schwalbe refers to the familiar swift, there is some etymological overlap with the swallow’s migratory or aerial traits). The verb swallow traces a semantic path from the physical act of gulping to broader figurative senses (to endure, to contain) in later Old English and Middle English. Early uses appear in Old English medical and natural history texts describing both the bird and the act of swallowing; over time, the term became dual-purpose in modern English, with the noun emphasizing the avian species and the verb describing ingestion. The first known written attestations appear in medieval texts and later in Elizabethan English, where poets used swallow-based imagery to convey concepts of mingling, intake, and fortitude. The current form swallows—plural noun or third-person singular verb—emerged from standard English pluralization and verb conjugation patterns while retaining the same spelling as the singular form, with pronunciation variations shaped by regional accents.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "swallows" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "swallows" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "swallows"
-low sounds
-no) sounds
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