/jʊɹz/
yours is pronounced /jʊɹz/. Yours is a possessive determiner/pronoun used to indicate that something belongs to the person or thing previously mentioned (e.g., that book is yours) or to form polite closings in letters. It is pronounced as a single syllable and often reduced in casual speech, blending with surrounding sounds. In careful speech, the final /z/ is clearly voiced; in rapid speech, it may be lightly released or assimilated. Core meaning centers on ownership, not identification of the possessor.
Say it backYours is a possessive determiner/pronoun used to indicate that something belongs to the person or thing previously mentioned (e.g., that book is yours) or to form polite closings in letters. It is pronounced as a single syllable and often reduced in casual speech, blending with surrounding sounds. In careful speech, the final /z/ is clearly voiced; in rapid speech, it may be lightly released or assimilated. Core meaning centers on ownership, not identification of the possessor.
"That umbrella is yours, not mine."
"Is this seat yours or mine?"
"I think the decision is yours to make."
YOURS is a single-syllable word. In US/UK/AU, it typically ends with a voiced /z/ sound. IPA: US /jɔːrz/, UK /jɔːz/, AU /jɔːz/. Start with a palatal onset /j/ as in you, glide to open-mid back rounded /ɔː/ vowel (like ‘for’ without r coloring in non-rhotic accents), and finish with /z/. In rapid speech, the vowel may be slightly shorter and the /r/ may be less pronounced in non-rhotic varieties; the key is the final voiced /z/ and the single syllable. Practice by leading with /j/ and keeping the lips rounded and relaxed through the vowel into the final /z/.
Two common mistakes: (1) treating it as two syllables with a hard vowel like /jɔːr/ plus /z/ separated; in most pronunciations it’s a tight, single syllable; (2) mispronouncing the final consonant as /s/ or devoicing it into /z̥/ in fast speech. Correction: 유지 a single syllable /jɔːrz/ with a clear /j/ onset, a lengthened /ɔː/ quality, and a full voiced /z/ release. Keep the tongue high-front for the /j/, then drop into a rounded back vowel and end with a light, continuous airflow for /z/.
US and AU typically produce /jɔːrz/ with a rhotic pronunciation; in non-rhotic UK varieties you may hear a shorter /ɔː/ and a non-emphasized /r/ before vowels, yielding /jɔːz/ in many contexts with a lighter /z/ or an elided /r/. The main difference is rhoticity and vowel length; AU often mirrors US but with subtle Australian vowel timing. Pay attention to the final /z/ voicing across all; in fast speech you sometimes hear a reduced vowel before z.
The difficulty stems from the combination of a palatal onset /j/ plus a mid-back rounded vowel /ɔː/ and a final voiced /z/. The transition from a front to back placement requires precise tongue shaping and lip rounding. In fast or connected speech, the vowel can be shortened, blurring the onset and final consonant. Clear mastery involves maintaining the single-syllable quality, ensuring the /z/ retains voicing, and avoiding an intrusive or rolled /r/ in non-rhotic variants.
A distinctive feature is how the possessive form acts as a standalone unit; in many phrases like ‘yours truly’, the stress is on the tail word, but in isolation, yours receives primary stress as the sole nucleus. Its pronunciation also often merges with neighboring sounds in rapid conversation, so you’ll hear subtle vowel shortening and /z/ assimilation into surrounding consonants. Focus on keeping a clean /ɔː/ and a clear final /z/ even when spoken quickly.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "yours"!
Yours originates in Old English, from the possessive pronoun ge- or eower combined with the second-person possessive suffix -es, evolving from earlier forms like eower and eoweret. The modern form yours consolidates the possessive determiner + pronoun function into a contractive, clitic-like word used as a stand-alone possessive. The term reflects a broader Germanic heritage where possessive pronouns fused with demonstratives, illustrating a shift from explicit noun phrase markers to compact, pronoun-like forms in Middle English. First known uses appear in late Old English and early Middle English texts, where possessive pronouns increasingly collapsed endings and were written with apostrophes in later periods to indicate elision and phonetic reduction. Over centuries, yours became the conventional second-person possessive pronoun not directly modifying a noun when the context is understood, or as a polite closing when used as a pronoun alone. Its usage rose in the transition from inflected noun phrases to fixed pronouns associated with second-person ownership. In modern English, yours functions flexibly as a pronoun or determiner, with formality dependent on context and pace of speech, and remains a compact grammatical vehicle for ownership without explicit noun repetition.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "yours" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "yours" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "yours" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "yours"
-res sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
