English spellings/Catalogs/Retro S

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list
Common misspellings

This page lists pronunciations of English words that end in S. The list is in retroalphabetical order, that is, alphabetically beginning with the final letter of the word (in this case S) and continuing backwards through it.

The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z. Click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title for a pronunciation key.^[e]

---

*áz ás

*Lûcus Lûcas

-ráz whereás

*gáss gás

*ház hás

*Cánzus Kánsas

-såw Årkansås

*wóz ẁas

AmE *ërbs hërbs

-x -cs

theátrics

acrobátics

informátics

AmE esthétics, BrE aesthétics

athlétics

gymnástics

logístics

Nétherlands

-dz fŏrwards

piêces

*Pîsêez Pîscês

-z Dés

recêdes

Mercèdês

Thucýdidês

-êez Ándês

-êez antípodês

-dz côdes

Rêece, etc. = Rêes

grab sêize = see sêes

-jíz édges

-jíz lódges

-jíz Hódges

Gángês

chânges

*nêeshíz nìches

-chíz ríches

-chíz ínches

-chíz chürches

-z hew heŵs = person Hûghes

since around the beginning of the 21st century, there has been a tendency for younger BrE speakers to sound this ending as -êez instead of -íz: -íes

plural of lúllaby: -îz lúllabîes

-íz, -êez râbíes

Ãries

documéntaries

*síəríz, *síərêez sêríes

-íz, -êez AmE wörríes, BrE wòrríes

*Léz; short form of Léslie: Lés

enâbles

Vénables

míracles

îcicles

-êez Périclês

tésticles

-êez Sóphoclês

Lós = lóss lose; or -íz Lós Ángelês

Gîles

distance mîles = person Mîles

smîles

minimal pair: cf. shékels: sháckles

*Vérsŷe Versaîlles

*Marsây Marsèilles

*Əkílêez Achíllês

*Fílêez Phíllês

-lz Chàrles

minimal pair: êasels rhymes with mêasles

-lz mólecûles

-z Hërculês

*Témz Thames

Jâmes

Aristóphanês

*Wídníss Wídnes

-nz Bàrnes

*Tótníss or *Totnéss Tótnes

Jóhn Mâynard Kèynes

Mílton Kêynes

see English irregular nouns: -ôes

*dúzz dòes

*gôze gôes

rôse rhymes with hêroes

*tôze tôes

-tôze potâtoes

-pêez hërpes

plural of -sís in Greek-derived words (see English irregular nouns) -sês

cf. singular -síss parénthesís: plural -sêez parénthesês

cf. prîces *prîsíz: *crîsêez crîsês

*loôziz loses

-síz glāsses

-sêez Ûlyssês

-síz búses

verb -zíz abûses

noun -síz abûses

plúses

mînuses

-zíz hòuses

-zíz ròuses

-zíz blòuses

-ssíz spòuses

-zíz espòuses

homographs: -zíz analyse ánalŷses, -sêez analysis análysês

Sócratês

prompts cûes = lines queûes

âgûes

-gz lêagues

-sks mósques

hêaves

leave, leaf lêaves

have-nots háves

shâves

wâves

thief thìêves

Îves

gíves

-k- àrchîves

plural noun lîves

singular verb líves

knife knîves

arrîves

môtíves

wife wîves

calf càlves

half hālves

valve válves

elf élves

delve délves

shelf shélves

self sélves

one word, as with following: *òursélvz oursélves

*yŏrsélvz yoursélves

*dhəmsélvz themsélves

*wùlvz wolves

cf. dòves: drôves

hoof hoôves

scarf scàrves

Z- Xërxês

*yéss yés

cf. noun analysis análysês: verb analyse or analyze ánalyzes

hoôves rhymes with roôfs

Hâstings

hústings

-gz dógs

parîahs

big sîze = sigh sîghs

-āffs lāughs

-óffs cóughs

-dhz: unvoiced -th becomes voiced -ths

brêathes rhymes with wrêaths

-òudhz mòuths

-ûdhz yoûths

-ûdhz trûths

-íss unless noted -ís

*íz ís

*híz hís

plurals, no apostrophes, -íz: -ís

-íz Bangladéshis

-íz Bengålis

-íz Nepålis

-íz Isrâelis

-iz semifinals sémis

Dénnís = Dénís

-əss pênis

ténnís

-íz Sùnnis

-nŏy Íllinois

-kwà Iroquois

Ãris

Hárris rhymes with Párís

hûbris

cf. críss-cróss: Krís = Christopher Chrís

(ǒ in AmE) Hórace and Mórris (= BrE Maurice) all rhyme with Bóris, Dóris and lóris

Párís rhymes with Hárris

térrace rhymes with Férris

rhyming with Hórace, BrE Maurice = Mórris

Nórris

bâsis

ô|âsis

stâsis

thêsis

cf. paréntheses: whether between parentheses (AmE; BrE brackets), square brackets (BrE; AmE brackets), commas or dashes, the words themselves constitute a parénthesis

Greek-derived words in -sís, *síss, have -sês, *sêez, to mark their plurals (see English irregular nouns): sýnthesis

némesis

Îsis

crîsis

thrombôsis

cirrhôsis

fibrôsis

-k- bronchîtis

colîtis

enterîtis

nephrîtis

cystîtis

Dâvis

Mâvis

Trávis

Élvis

pélvis

áxis

prophyláxis

léxis

*nóx Knóx = knócks

loòks

spoôks

àsks

désks

rísks

túsks

-z sélls

-z húms

-nz -ns

sáns

Évans

Díckens

chíckens

léns

Hópkins

Dåwkins

Håwkins

words from Greek rhyming with bóss: -ós

*kâyós châos

insect lòuse = nation Làos

rhyming with dôze: tornâdos

-pô à propos

rhinóceros

Monóceros

-pss hélps

oòps

whoòps

loôps

stoôps

schnápps

arrêars

úp and dòwn stãirs

dòwnstãirs

úpstãirs

heart cŏre = army cŏrps

-z stàrs

-z, no apostrophe: hërs

-z; lîars, trîers and buŷers rhyme with plîers

-z; bôres, BrE påuse, and påws rhyme with dŏors

gás rhymes with láss

máss

pāss

cráss

grāss

mostly -íss -ess

*áxéss áccéss

góddéss

conféss

proféss

chéss

héadless

hêedless

cãreless

ûseless

hápless

hélpless

t can be silent in lístless

t can be silent in réstless

méss

Lóch Néss

suffix forming abstract nouns, e as í or schwa: -ness

suffix forming geographical names, meaning headland -néss

goòdness

*Dúnjənéss Dungenéss

cf. clêan: cléanliness

clúmsiness

nāstiness

lîonéss

Sheernéss

gòverness

Invernéss

shŷness

dréss

préss

tréss

áctress

wâitress

stréss

distréss

headmístress

máttress

duréss

cf. áccess *áxéss: asséss

silent u: guéss

pròwess

kíss

míss

bóss

lóss

flóss

cróss

dróss

grôss

cúss

abýss

-tss cáts

Kêats

Yâtes = Yeâts

it is ít's = of it íts

e.g. clairvŏyants = clairvŏyance: -nce = -nts

land déserts

leaves (verb), rewards (noun) desërts = sweets dessërts

*úss, but usually weak: *əss ús

mostly -əss -us

-ss bús

súccubus

ábacus

fôcus

Damáscus

díscus

Índus

oôze rhymes with Híndûs

Zeûs

-kəss Bácchus

-tious, -tius, -cious, sound like -shus

Horâtius

Sibèlius

Dêlius

Jûlius

both j-: cf. adjective ingênious: noun gênius

Sírius

ignorâmus

hippopótamus

Hierónymus

ânus

j- gênus

-yoôz ménûs

Vênus

Lînus

mînus

sînus

ônus

for adjectives = -us mostly for nouns: -əss –ous

cåucus rhymes with råucous

-dəss: only in the following five words -dous

treméndous

stûpendous

horréndous

jép- jéopardous

házardous

-jəss outrâgeous

-jəss gŏrgeous

simultâneous

gênius rhymes with heterogêneous and homogêneous

-shəss -cious

pugnâcious

loquâcious

spêcious

précious

auspícious

suspícious

vícious

uncónscious

relígious rhymes with sacrilegious

cf. noun gênius: adjective ingênious

pîous

ímpious

censŏrious

kyù- cùrious

fyù- fùrious

spyù- spùrious

-shus -tious

ambítious

propítious

factítious

fictítious

óbvious

oblívious

prêvious

*ánkshus ánxious

jéalous

zéalous

màrvellous

ridículous

fâmous

ínfə- ínfamous

ánimus cf. ûnánimous

anónymous

epónymous

erógenous

cf. vërtigo, hard g: g as j in vertíginous

glûtinous

glúttonous

scábrous

wòndrous

slānderous

pónderous

thúnderous

mürderous

nûmerous

prepósterous

rígorous

vígorous

glámorous

bone hûmerus = funny hûmorous

pǒrous

vâporous

díz- disàstrous

mónstrous

can also be -terous: déxtrous and ámbidextrous

AmE súlfurous, BrE súlphurous

see -orous: no words end in -ourous

vácûous

disingénuous

fátûous

súmptûous

vïrtûous

nërvous

pùss cf. pús

Cánopus

óctopus

*Bélla-Roôse Belarûs

funny hûmorous (British as well as American) = bone hûmerus

vîrus

cf. prósperous: phósphorus

Bósphorus or Bósporus

rhêsus

cénsus

consénsus

sánctus

ríctus

néxus

-z jåws

irregular: *séz says

regular: *stâze stâys

-âze sîdeways

Gládýs

Sánds = Sandys

Cárýs

only in some unusual cases (such as the pop group "the La's") is apostrophe-s used to form plurals: final apostrophe-s is normally either a singular possessive or an abbreviation of ís; many company names have dropped the apostrophe, leaving just a plural-looking -s: -'s

w-, plural ònes = possessive òne's

or *híz hê's

or *shíz shê's

chíldren's

*hoôz of whom whose = who is who's

possessive of final-s singular monosyllables: -s's

St. Jâmes's

Kêats's

Yâtes's = Yeâts's

of it íts = it is ít's

-íes = -ý's

Bàrclaý's