WEYE-urz
/ˈwaɪɚz/
wires is pronounced WEYE-urz (/ˈwaɪɚz/). Wires is the plural noun or verb form referring to multiple flexible metal conductors or to the act of providing electrical wiring. In everyday use, it denotes several strands designed to carry electric current, or the present-tense form of the verb wire. The word appears in technical, domestic, and industrial contexts and often appears with modifiers such as copper, insulated, or bare.
Wires is the plural noun or verb form referring to multiple flexible metal conductors or to the act of providing electrical wiring. In everyday use, it denotes several strands designed to carry electric current, or the present-tense form of the verb wire. The word appears in technical, domestic, and industrial contexts and often appears with modifiers such as copper, insulated, or bare.
"The house has been rewired, and new wires run through the walls."
"She trimmed the copper wires before soldering."
"The electrician checked the wires for any signs of wear."
Pronounced /waɪrz/ in US and most dialects; /waɪz/ in some UK and Australian rapid speech? Actually, standard British English often yields /waɪəz/ in careful speech and /waɪz/ in many accents. The core is the diphthong /aɪ/ followed by the voiced alveolar approximant /ɹ/ plus /z/. In careful enunciation you’ll hear /waɪrz/ with a clear /r/ and /z/; in non-rhotic variants trailing /r/ is less audible, sounding closer to /waɪz/. Practice by starting with /waɪ/ then add /ɹ/ (or absence) and finish with /z/.
Common errors: 1) Dropping the /ɹ/ in non-rhotic accents, producing /waɪz/; ensure you produce a light rhotic r or a linking /ɹ/ if your accent allows. 2) Voicing the final /z/ too lightly or as a /s/; keep it as a voiced /z/ with a little vibration. 3) Confusing with ‘wise’ by preserving the long /iː/ vs /aɪ/; keep the diphthong /aɪ/ intact before the /ɹ/ and final /z/.
In US English, /waɪrz/ with a clear /r/ and a final /z/. In many UK accents, especially non-rhotic ones, the /r/ may be less pronounced or silent in certain positions, giving /waɪz/ or a very light /ɹ/; the vowel quality of /aɪ/ remains. Australian speech tends to be similar to US, with a clear /r/ in rhotic variants and often a slightly more centralized or lowered vowel before /z/. Focus on ensuring the /aɪ/ diphthong is distinct and the final voiced /z/ remains audible.
Because it requires precise articulation of the diphthong /aɪ/ followed by a controlled /ɹ/ (or its absence) and a voiced final /z/. The transition from a vowel glide into a consonant cluster can be challenging in rapid speech, especially after another consonant or in connected phrases. Additionally, regional reductions of /ɹ/ in non-rhotic accents can obscure the /ɹ/ coloration, making /waɪz/ sound similar to /waɪz/ unless you maintain voicing and opt for a brief rhotic cue.
A distinctive tip is to practice the sequence using a slight, quick lift of the tongue behind the upper teeth to cue the onset of /ɹ/ before the /z/. Start with /waɪ/ and then add a light, quick /ɹ/ before finishing with /z/. This helps you keep the /aɪ/ diphthong stable and prevents the final /z/ from merging with a following vowel in connected speech.
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Wires comes from the plural noun wire, which derives from Old English wira, related to Old High German fueara and Proto-Germanic wairo. The root refers to twisted strands or cords and evolved to mean a flexible metal thread used for electrical transmission. The earliest uses in English often described cords or rods used for binding or tying; by the 17th-18th centuries, wire specifically denoted metal wire for binding or construction. Through the 19th and 20th centuries, “wire” expanded in specialized vocabulary to include electrical and communication conductors, with “wires” as the plural form. The verb sense “to wire” (to provide with wires) emerged alongside industrial electrification, while the noun “wires” coalesced as the natural plural in technical manuals, wiring diagrams, and domestic installations. First known printed uses align with mechanical and electrical contexts in technical literature from the early modern period, and became common in electrical engineering discourse by the late 1800s as electrical infrastructure expanded globally.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "wires" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "wires"
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