WIS-uhlz
/ˈwɪsəlz/
whistles is pronounced WIS-uhlz (/ˈwɪsəlz/). Whistles is the plural noun or verb form meaning devices that emit a high-pitched sound or the act of producing such sounds with one’s lips. In practice, it often refers to small wind instruments or the action of making a shrill sound by pursing the lips and blowing. The term can also describe the sound itself that resembles a whistle. Context usually clarifies whether it’s plural noun, verb, or the act of whistling.
Whistles is the plural noun or verb form meaning devices that emit a high-pitched sound or the act of producing such sounds with one’s lips. In practice, it often refers to small wind instruments or the action of making a shrill sound by pursing the lips and blowing. The term can also describe the sound itself that resembles a whistle. Context usually clarifies whether it’s plural noun, verb, or the act of whistling.
"The referee blew his whistle to halt the game."
"The cat’s teeth wore a whistle-like rasp as he whistled through pursed lips."
"Children lined up, blowing whistles in unison during the parade."
Pronounce it as WHIS-tles with stress on WHIS. IPA US/UK: /ˈwɪs.ləlz/? Actually standard is /ˈwɪs.ləlz/ or /ˈwɪs.ləz/? The typical form is /ˈwɪs.ləlz/ in careful speech and /ˈwɪs.ləz/ in quick speech. Start with /w/ rounded lips, then /ɪ/ as in kit, /s/ as in see, the second syllable has a light /l/ followed by a final /z/ or /s/ depending on the speaker.”,
Common errors: ending sound mishandled as /l/ or /lz/ reduced to /l/ or /z/, misplacing stress as WIS-tles. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable: WHIS-tles, ensure the second syllable has a clear /l/ followed by a voiced /z/ or /s/ depending on context; practice final cluster by linking /lz/ together rather than isolating. Practice saying /ˈwɪs.ləlz/ and then glide to /ˈwɪs.ləz/ in fluent speech.
US: stronger /ɪ/ quality and a denser /l/; final /lz/ often realized as /lz/. UK: slightly shorter /ɪ/, softer /l/, final /z/ may be more voiceless. AU: vowel quality closer to /ɪ/ in many varieties; tends to be non-rhotic? with a clear final /lz/ cluster. Overall, rhoticity isn’t a major factor for this word; the main variation is in vowel length and the exact realization of the /l/ and /z/ or /s/ at the end.
Because it has a consonant cluster at the end (/ls/ or /lz/), requiring precise timing between the /l/ and the voiceless/voiced fricative. The initial /w/ onset must glide smoothly into a short /ɪ/ then /s/; many learners mispronounce the second syllable with a heavy schwa or drop the /l/ sound. Also, final /l/ + /z/ requires voicing control; practise by isolating the /l/ with a following /z/ to prevent a plain /l/.
The word combines a bilabial-onset glide /w/ with a high-front vowel /ɪ/ and a coda cluster /l/ + /z/. A unique factor is ensuring the /l/ in the second syllable remains light but distinct, not absorbed by the /z/ into a /l z/ sequence reduced to /lz/ in fast speech. Emphasize the transition between /s/ and /l/ to avoid misplacing the rhotic pitch and to keep the final consonant crisp.
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The word whistles derives from Old English wisslian or related Germanic roots tied to the act of blowing a mouth whistle. The core noun likely originates from the sound-producing action of pursed lips and airflow, later extended to mechanical devices that generate a similar tone. The Proto-Germanic root *wisslô or *wissla is linked to words for blowing or whistling; cognates appear in Middle Dutch wisselen, meaning to chirp or whistle, and Old High German wisla, a small whistle. By the 14th century, whistle referred to both the sound and the device; by the 16th–18th centuries, whistling as an act and whistle as a tool became common, with the plural whist les/whistles attaching to group or multiple devices. The term expanded in modern English to include slang for police whistle, audience shouts, or a bird call, while remaining widely used in sports and music contexts. The etymology reflects a broader European pattern where onomatopoeic terms for sound production influence device naming, emphasizing the acoustic similarity between breath, pitch, and the instrument-like function of a whistle.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "whistles" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "whistles"
-les sounds
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