traps
/tɹæps/
traps is pronounced traps (/tɹæps/). Traps is a plural noun or verb form meaning devices or situations designed to catch something, or the third-person singular present of trap. In everyday use, it often refers to devices or snares, or metaphorically to tricky situations. The word consists of a single syllable with a final /s/ cluster, and its meaning shifts with context from physical devices to metaphorical bind.
Traps is a plural noun or verb form meaning devices or situations designed to catch something, or the third-person singular present of trap. In everyday use, it often refers to devices or snares, or metaphorically to tricky situations. The word consists of a single syllable with a final /s/ cluster, and its meaning shifts with context from physical devices to metaphorical bind.
"The hunter set up traps in the muddy clearing."
"Beware of booby traps hidden along the trail."
"The company traps customers with hidden fees in the contract."
/træps/. Start with a light breath and a short /t/ release, then the open-front vowel /æ/ as in cat, followed immediately by the voiceless alveolar plosive /p/ released into the plural /s/. The final /s/ should be unvoiced and crisp. In connected speech, you may hear a slight liaison before words beginning with consonants, but here the /t/ and /r/ blend is minimal; the key is a clean /tr/ onset and a sharp /p/ plus /s/.
Two common errors are mispronouncing the /tr/ cluster as /dr/ or d/t replacement, and letting the final /s/ sound too weak or as /z/. To correct: practice the /tr/ onset with a quick, light touch of the tongue to create /t/ then immediately roll into /r/ without a vowel between. Ensure the /p/ is released with a short stop before the /s/. For the /s/, keep it unvoiced; if you voice it, you’ll sound like /z/.
In US, /træps/ with a rhotic r is not strongly present after /t/ in some regions, but the /r/ is typically light; /æ/ remains front. In UK, you’ll often hear a crisper /tr/ with strong fronting and a shorter vowel; the /r/ is non-rhotic in many dialects, so it may feel like /træps/ with a silent or weak /r/. In Australian English, /æ/ vowel quality can be closer to /aː/ in some speakers, and the /r/ is non-rhotic; the sequence remains /træps/ with a clear /p/ release. Overall, core is /tr/ onset, /æ/ vowel, /p/ /s/ final, with small cue shifts in rhoticity and vowel length.
The difficulty often lies in the hard /tr/ onset followed by a concise /æ/ and abrupt /p/–/s/ cluster. The /t/ quickly transitions to /r/ without a vowel, which can be tricky for learners not used to moving the tongue from a front-lift to a rhotic gesture in one motion. Also, keeping the /p/ release crisp and the /s/ unvoiced is essential to avoid a muffled or voiced final sound. Precision in tongue placement for /t/ and /r/ and strong final /s/ are key.
Stress isn’t variable in single-word forms like traps, but learners sometimes insert a vowel or extra breath before the /æ/ in rapid speech or connect it with a following word, which distorts the vowel. The unique aspect is maintaining a quick but controlled /tr/ onset and a strict stop before the /s/. Also, in fast speech you may hear a less defined /p/ release; practicing with a held /p/ followed by an immediate /s/ helps keep the final cluster crisp.
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Traps comes from the noun trap, derived from Old English trapa, from Proto-Germanic *trapaz, related to Old High German trap, Dutch valtrap, all meaning ‘a device to catch animals or people’. The verb trap, meaning to ensnare or catch, dates from the 15th century, while the sense of devices meant to catch (as in booby traps) evolved later. The plural traps simply adds the standard English plural suffix -s. The term has long appeared in hunting, fishing, and engineering contexts, expanding into metaphorical uses in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as “get someone into a trap” or “trap of politics.” First known uses are attested in Middle English texts, with more explicit hunting references in early modern period; modern usage in security and legal contexts appeared as traps and booby-traps became common in manuals and literature. By the late 20th century, “trap” broadened to slang meanings (e.g., “lip trap” in music), while retaining its core sense of catching or ensnaring via a mechanism or plan.
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Words that rhyme with "traps"
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