/weɪz/
weighs is pronounced /weɪz/. Weighs is the third-person singular present tense of weigh, meaning to determine the weight of something or to have influence or importance. In pronunciation terms, it is a monosyllabic word formed of the /weɪz/ phoneme sequence, with a long vowel in the diphthong and a voiced final s. The word often participates in phrases like 'weighs a lot' or 'weighs on my mind'.
Say it backWeighs is the third-person singular present tense of weigh, meaning to determine the weight of something or to have influence or importance. In pronunciation terms, it is a monosyllabic word formed of the /weɪz/ phoneme sequence, with a long vowel in the diphthong and a voiced final s. The word often participates in phrases like 'weighs a lot' or 'weighs on my mind'.
"The scale weighs objects up to 50 kilograms."
"Her decision weighs heavily on the committee."
"This bottle weighs more than it looks."
Pronounce as one syllable: /weɪz/. Start with a light 'w' sound, glide into the long diphthong /eɪ/ as in 'face,' then finish with a voiced /z/. The lips start rounded for /w/, move smoothly into the /eɪ/ glide with a tense jaw, and end with a crisp /z/. IPA: US/UK/AU: /weɪz/. You’ll hear it in phrases like 'weighs a lot'.
Two frequent errors: (1) Misplacing the final /s/ as /z/? Some speakers append an extra voiceless s when the final is voiced; keep it as /z/ only when the preceding sound is voiced. (2) Slurring the diphthong into a simple /i/ or /e/; ensure the glide from /w/ into /eɪ/ remains distinct, with a stable jaw and lip position. Correct by exaggerating the /eɪ/ start and ending with a precise /z/.
In US, UK, and AU, /weɪz/ remains essentially the same core vowels, but rhotics and vowel quality can vary. US often preserves a more forward /eɪ/ and clearer rhotic articulation in connected speech; UK may feature slightly tighter lid on the diphthong with subtle vowel narrowing; AU tends toward a broader, slightly higher mid point in the glide, but the vowel quality remains the same. Stress stays on the single syllable; regional variation is subtle.
The challenge lies in the diphthong /eɪ/ and the voiced /z/ following a consonant cluster without a vowel in between. You need a clean glide from /w/ into /eɪ/ and a precise, continuous voicing for the /z/. Any over- or under-voicing can blur the final sound, making it sound like /weɪs/ or /weɪz/ with a hiss or abrupt stop. Practicing the clean transition from lip rounding to unrounded vowel helps.
Yes. In isolation or as a main verb, weighs is a single-stressed syllable: /weɪz/. In connected speech, there may be reduced surrounding vowels in adjacent words, but weighs itself maintains one primary beat. When used in phrases like 'what he weighs,' the word retains its stress placement as the nucleus of the verb phrase, helping to carry the sense of measurement or impact.
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Weighs comes from the verb weigh, which traces to Old English wegan (weighan in West Saxon). The root is related to Proto-Germanic *waganą and Proto-Indo-European *wei- meaning to move or bend under weight. In Old English, weigh existed as weagan with inflected forms; over time, Middle English developed the modern spelling weigh and its pronunciation. The present tense third-person singular weighs preserves the base form with the typical -s ending. The semantic range broadened from physical measurement to metaphorical load or burden and influence, as in 'weighs heavily' or 'weighs on one's mind.' First known uses appear in early medieval texts that discuss weights and balances, later expanding to figurative language in literary works as trade, measurement, and judgment integrated into everyday speech. The evolution reflects a shift from concrete to abstract burden and significance, maintaining the core idea of gravitational impact, whether literal weight or influence on a decision.
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Words that rhyme with "weighs"
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