/wɪlz/
wills is pronounced /wɪlz/. Wills refers to the plural of will, meaning a legal document outlining a person’s wishes for the disposition of their property after death, or more generally, intentions or choices. In grammar, it can appear in phrases like “will’s” as the contraction of “will is.” The plural noun form is pronounced the same as the singular, emphasizing the /ɪ/ vowel in many dialects, and it frequently appears in legal, formal, or advisory contexts.
Say it backWills refers to the plural of will, meaning a legal document outlining a person’s wishes for the disposition of their property after death, or more generally, intentions or choices. In grammar, it can appear in phrases like “will’s” as the contraction of “will is.” The plural noun form is pronounced the same as the singular, emphasizing the /ɪ/ vowel in many dialects, and it frequently appears in legal, formal, or advisory contexts.
"The testator drafted several wills to cover different beneficiaries."
"He changed his will after the birth of his grandchildren."
"The will’s validity was contested in court."
Pronounce it as /wɪlz/. Start with a light, voiced labiodental display: lip to teeth contact for the /w/; then a short high-front lax vowel /ɪ/ as in “bit”; finish with the voiced alveolar s /z/. The word is one syllable with no stress variation. Audio reference: you’ll hear the same as “will” plus a final /z/; the plural s is voiced because the preceding sound is voiced. IPA: /wɪlz/.
Two common errors: (1) pronouncing the final /z/ as /s/ (unvoiced), which makes it sound like /wɪls/; ensure the vocal cords vibrate for /z/. (2) Slurring the /w/ with the /ɪ/, producing /wuɪlz/ or /wɪl/ without a clear /z/. Focus on keeping /w/ distinct and voice the final /z/ steadily. Short practice: say /w/ + /ɪ/ quickly, then add /lz/ with a light, continuous voice.
In US, UK, and AU, the pronunciation remains /wɪlz/. The main variation is voicing of the final consonant in some dialects: US generally keeps /z/ reliably voiced; some UK regional varieties may produce a weaker /z/ but still voiced. Vowel quality around /ɪ/ can be marginally more lax in some accents, but the difference is subtle. In Australian English, vowel quality is similar to General Australian; rhoticity doesn’t alter this word significantly since the word ends in /z/ and is not influenced by rhotic vowels.
The challenge lies in the final /z/ after a short lax vowel; many learners default to /wɪls/ or /wɪl/ without the /z/. The voiced alveolar fricative /z/ requires held voice and precise tongue position near the alveolar ridge. Also, maintaining shortness of /ɪ/ without reducing is important; talkers sometimes reduce to /wəlz/ or /wɪlz/ with a different stress pattern. Focus on your mouth posture to produce crisp /z/.
A unique tip: think of it as a tiny two-phase sound cluster: glide /w/ into a tight /ɪ/ then a voiced /lz/ cluster. Make sure the /l/ is lightly released before the /z/. The mouth should be in a slight smile shape for /w/, then drop to a relaxed jaw for /ɪ/ and quickly transition to the tongue-tip contact for /z/.
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The word will originates from Old English willen, from the Germanic root wil- meaning desire or wish. In Middle English, will acquired the legal sense of a person’s testamentary intention, as in a document expressing wishes about property after death. The modern form will is attested by the 13th century, consolidating both the volition sense and the legal instrument sense. The plural wills emerged to denote multiple testamentary documents or plural expressions of intent, with phonological simplifications typical of English plurals. The semantic shift from “desire” to “document expressing desire” is common in legal language, where the abstract notion of a person’s choices becomes codified as a written instrument. The phrase “will and testament” historically linked the two concepts in one legal instrument, a usage reflected in some jurisdictions where forms of administration hinge on the will’s terms. Over time, “will” expanded to everyday use in phrases like “you will” as a modal auxiliary, though in modern contexts, the plural noun retains its distinct legal meaning when capitalized or contextually signaled.
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Words that rhyme with "wills"
-lls sounds
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