VEE-hik-uhlz
/ˈvihɪkəlz/
vehicles is pronounced VEE-hik-uhlz (/ˈvihɪkəlz/). Vehicles refers to means of conveyance or transportation, especially those used for carrying people or goods. In broader contexts, it can mean a medium or channel for something (e.g., a vehicle for change). The term is plural and commonly collocates with adjectives like motor, electric, passenger, and public. It emphasizes physical conveyance rather than abstract methods.
Vehicles refers to means of conveyance or transportation, especially those used for carrying people or goods. In broader contexts, it can mean a medium or channel for something (e.g., a vehicle for change). The term is plural and commonly collocates with adjectives like motor, electric, passenger, and public. It emphasizes physical conveyance rather than abstract methods.
"The city is expanding its fleet of electric vehicles."
"The museum uses the term vehicles to describe different types of display transport."
"Ambulances and fire engines are essential emergency vehicles."
Pronounce as VIH-ih-kuls with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: /ˈviː.ɪ.kəlz/ in US/UK/AU. Start with a long 'vee' /viː/ then a short, quick 'ee' /ɪ/ easing into a light /k/ and a soft /əl/ (schwa), followed by /z/ for the plural. Visualize the mouth: lips spread for /viː/, tongue high for /ɪ/ before a crisp /k/ at the back of the tongue, then a relaxed /əl/ before the voiced /z/. You’ll often hear a small vowel reduction in rapid speech, but keep the /ɪ/ clear in careful speech.
Common mistakes: (1) dropping the middle vowel and saying /ˈviː.kəlz/ or /ˈviː.kəlz/ with an incongruent /ɪ/ or /ɛ/; (2) misplacing the stress, saying /viːˈɪ.kəlz/ or /ˈviː.ɪ.k əlz/ with a weak first syllable; (3) voicing the /t/ as a /d/ instead of the /k/ plus /əlz/ cluster. Correction: keep the first syllable with long /iː/ then a short /ɪ/ before the /k/; hold the /k/ crisply; end with a voiced /z/. Practice slow: /ˈviː.ɪ.kəlz/ and then speed up while maintaining the /k/ and /z/ boundary.
In US/UK/AU, all share /ˈviː.ɪ.kəlz/. The rhoticity affects potential linking in rapid speech: US may link the final /z/ or voice it plainly; UK often keeps a slightly crisper /k/ before the /əl/ and the /z/ rounded; AU tends to a more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable, though still keeps /k/ and /z/ distinct. The main differences are subtle vowel length and the quality of the middle /ɪ/ vs /ə/ in connected speech, with US often preserving /ɪ/ more strongly in careful speech. In all, avoid misplacing stress and keep a clear /k/ followed by /əl/ before /z/.
The difficulty lies in the three-consonant cluster /v-ɪ-k-/ leading into /əlz/ and keeping the middle vowel crisp. The sequence requires precise tongue positioning: a high front /iː/ or /viː/ onset, a brief /ɪ/ before the velar /k/, then a schwa-like /ə/ before the final /lz/. Non-native speakers often compact vowels or mispronounce the /k/ into /t/ or /d/ and merge /əl/ with /z/. Focus on separating /k/ and /z/ with a light /əl/ transitional vowel, then practice with deliberate tempo.
There are no silent letters in vehicles; all letters contribute to the pronunciation. The key unique aspect is the final /z/ in plural form, a voiced alveolar sibilant, which follows an /əl/ two-segment transition. Do not voice the /s/ as /z/ in the first syllable; ensure the /z/ at the end is clearly audible. In careful speech, maintain the /ˈviː.ɪ.kəlz/ rhythm and avoid reducing the final /z/ to an /s/ or dropping it entirely.
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Vehicle comes from the Old French véhicule, from Latin vehiculum, which means a means of conveyance or a vehicle. Vehiculum itself derives from vehere, meaning to bear or carry, and vehis, meaning a carriage or transport. The English entry vehicles is the plural form of vehicle, which broadened in the 15th–17th centuries to include not just carts and carriages but any object used to enable moving people or goods. The semantic shift expanded to include metaphorical uses, where something can be a vehicle for ideas, policy, or change. In modern usage, vehicles commonly refer to automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other motorized or even non-motorized conveyances in transport discourse. The first recorded use of vehicle in English appears in the 14th century, evolving from the notion of carrying or bearing something along a path. The pluralization to vehicles occurred as plural forms of conveyances were needed to discuss multiple types or instances, with the sense stabilizing in technical and everyday language by the 19th and 20th centuries alongside the rise of motorized transport.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "vehicles" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "vehicles" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "vehicles"
-ves sounds
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