weeks
/wiks/
weeks is pronounced weeks (/wiks/). Weeks refers to a period of seven days, typically used as a unit of time in scheduling and calendars. It can also function as the plural of week in everyday language. The word is concise and usually stressed on the initial syllable, with a short, clipped vowel sound that mirrors natural, conversational English. In context, it denotes repeated cycles of days or a timeframe used for planning and description.
Weeks refers to a period of seven days, typically used as a unit of time in scheduling and calendars. It can also function as the plural of week in everyday language. The word is concise and usually stressed on the initial syllable, with a short, clipped vowel sound that mirrors natural, conversational English. In context, it denotes repeated cycles of days or a timeframe used for planning and description.
"We’ll meet again in two weeks."
"She’s been traveling for weeks now."
"The project should finish in a few weeks."
Pronounce as /wiːks/ (US), with the long E as in feet, followed by a voiceless /k/ and final /s/. The stress is on the single syllable; keep the vowel tense and the /k/ crisp. In careful speech, you’ll clearly hear the /wiː/ onset then /ks/. Listen for the slight assimilation of sibilant at the end in rapid speech. IPA: US/UK: /wiːks/; AU: /wiːks/; try saying 'weeps' and 'weeks' to feel the difference in the /iː/ vowel quality.
Common mistakes include shortening the vowel to a lax /ɪ/ as in 'wicked' and misarticulating the final consonant cluster as a single sound. Another error is adding an extra syllable or voicing the final s as /z/ rather than a voiceless /s/. Correct by keeping the vowel tense (/iː/ as in ‘feet’), producing a crisp /k/ then unvoiced /s/. Practice with minimal pairs like weeks vs. wastes to ensure the final cluster is clean.
In US, UK, and AU, weeks is /wiːks/. The main differences lie in vowel quality: US often has a more monophthongal /iː/, UK may have a slightly tenser, clipped /iː/ with subtle length differences, and AU follows rhotic tendencies of UK with minimal rhoticity in non-rhotic contexts but can be near-rhotic in careful speech. The final /ks/ cluster remains voiceless; the preceding /iː/ might be longer in careful UK/AU speech.
The challenge lies in the /iː/ vowel length and the /ks/ consonant cluster; keeping the long vowel steady while transitioning into a hard /k/ and voiceless /s/ requires precise tongue positioning. The /ks/ can run into a brief sibilant or a slight nasal if not controlled. Also, in rapid speech, the final /s/ can assimilate to the following sound; focus on crisp /k/ release and voiceless /s/.
A distinctive feature is how the final /ks/ cluster follows a long /iː/ vowel, creating a short, sharp closure: the tongue releases to a velar /k/ then a sibilant /s/. Speakers should avoid turning the /k/ into a softened /g/ or merging /s/ with the preceding vowel. Emphasize a brief stop after /iː/ and keep the /s/ voiceless and crisp.
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Weeks comes from the Old English word week, itself from Proto-Germanic *wikō, related to the idea of a turning or a cycle of time. The word has Germanic roots shared with Dutch week, German Woche, and Gothic wiha. The Proto-Germanic term likely imprinted the concept of a recurring seven-day cycle as the standard time unit. Over the centuries, the spelling stabilized to weeks in Middle English, with the plural form reflecting standard pluralization by adding -s to the singular 'week.' The semantic core has remained stable: a fixed, repeatable block of time used for measurement, scheduling, and conversational references. The concept of a seven-day week is ancient, with roots in both Judaic and Roman calendars, later solidified and widely adopted across Europe in the early modern period. First known uses in English appear in medieval texts, where the plural form weeks appeared as a typical way to talk about multiple cycles. In modern usage, weeks appear in phrases denoting durations (two weeks, several weeks) and in idioms that emphasize time’s progression (week by week).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "weeks" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "weeks"
-aks sounds
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