/vɔɪdz/
voids is pronounced /vɔɪdz/. Voids is the plural of void, referring to emptiness or gaps. As a verb form (third-person singular present or noun plural), it denotes making something empty or leaving spaces; in science or law it can describe nullified provisions or lapses. In everyday speech it often appears in phrases like 'avoid voids' or 'construct voids in a contract' where precise articulation helps clarity.
Say it backVoids is the plural of void, referring to emptiness or gaps. As a verb form (third-person singular present or noun plural), it denotes making something empty or leaving spaces; in science or law it can describe nullified provisions or lapses. In everyday speech it often appears in phrases like 'avoid voids' or 'construct voids in a contract' where precise articulation helps clarity.
"The cavern’s walls showed ancient voids where minerals had dissolved."
"The contract contains several voids that nullify its validity."
"Astronauts monitor structural voids to ensure the hull’s integrity."
You pronounce it as /voɪdz/ in US usage and /vɔɪdz/ in many UK and AU variants. The initial /v/ is a labiodental fricative, the vowel is the diphthong /ɔɪ/ (or /oɪ/ in some dialects), followed by a voiced 'dz' /dz/ at the end. The stress falls on the single syllable; keep the /iː/ part from its base 'void' compact and ensure you audibleize the /d/ before the final /z/. Mouth position: top teeth lightly touch bottom lip for /v/, mouth opens into a rounded jaw with the tongue gliding from /ɔ/ toward /ɪ/.
Common errors: 1) using a pure /o/ instead of the /ɔɪ/ diphthong, producing a 'voids' that sounds like 'voids' with a flat vowel; solution: practice the /ɔɪ/ glide by starting with /ɔ/ and bending toward /ɪ/. 2) Dropping the /d/ or turning it into a /z/ too early, which makes it 'voiz' rather than 'voids'; fix by a clear /dz/ release. 3) Lengthening the vowel into /oʊ/ or /oɪ/ before a final /z/; keep the diphthong tight and end with a crisp /dz/.
In US English, /voɪdz/ with a tighter /ɪ/ offset and a clearer /d/. In UK English, many speakers approach /ɔɪ/ as /ɒɪ/ or /ɔɪ/ with less roD across syllables; final /dz/ is often audible but less encumbered by aspiration. In Australian English, /vɔɪdz/ or /voɪdz/—the vowel quality tends toward a flatter /ɔɪ/ and less jaw opening. Across all, the /v/ remains labiodental; the final /dz/ is typically a single affricate; be mindful of vowels shifting slightly due to rhoticity and vowel reduction in connected speech.
The difficulty comes from coordinating a tight diphthong /ɔɪ/ or /ɔɪ/ with a rapid /dz/ release. It’s easy to mispronounce as /vɔɪz/ (without the 'd') or to shorten the diphthong into /ɔː/ in some accents. The pair of sounds requires precise tongue height: mid-back to near-high front for /ɔɪ/ while keeping the lips rounded then moving to the alveolar /d/ and voicing into /z/. Practicing the exact mouth tension and timing will help.
The word combines a labiodental fricative with a diphthong that often varies across dialects and a voiced alveolar affricate at the end. Unlike simple vowel-consonant closures, you must achieve a seamless, breath-efficient glide from /ɔɪ/ into /dz/. This requires lip rounding, jaw position, and careful timing; misalignment yields a slurred or mispronounced final sound. Focus on crisp /dz/ release while preserving the integrity of the diphthong.
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Void derives from the Old French void and the Latin vacuus meaning empty. In English, the term first appeared in the 13th century with sense related to emptiness or an unreigned space. By Middle English, void carried connotations of space devoid of matter as well as legal nullification. The semantic trajectory includes the transition from concrete emptiness (a void in a room or a vessel) to abstract emptiness or absence (void in a contract, void doctrine). The word regularly pairs with verbs like create, fill, or render and with adjectives such as wide, absolute, or legal. The plural form voids follows standard English noun pluralization with the addition of -s, and as a verb form, 'voids' appears with third-person singular present. First known uses surface in legal and architectural texts where voids indicated spaces or nullifications, then expanding into scientific and mathematical contexts to denote null results or empty sets. In modern usage, voids often imply intentional or functional emptiness, such as voids in materials, voids in space, or voids in warranty terms. Over centuries, the phonetic quality of void softened, shaping its modern pronunciation with a short o followed by a long i sound and a final d. Overall, voids has maintained two core senses: physical emptiness and legal/functional nullification, with metaphorical extensions in everyday language.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "voids" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "voids"
-oid sounds
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