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Mikkel
Pronunciation: house's vs houses – for native English speakers
At least some English speakers pronounce ”houses” as /ˈhaʊzɪz/. The first s becomes voiced when the plural s is added. But what about ”house's”? Is it /ˈhaʊzɪz/ or /ˈhaʊsɪz/?
Thanks for your help!
Feb 22, 2018 10:45 AM
Answers · 8
2
/ˈhaʊsɪz/
February 22, 2018
1
Is it not all native speakers that pronounce it like that? For me I find that it's actually really uncomfortable to pronounce it as an 's', I have to think about it in order to say it.
February 22, 2018
1
It really depends on the person, Mikkel. Both are correct and acceptable for either plural or possessive. I use two z sounds. In my opinion the first s and z at the end is hyper-correction. I would expect to hear a non-native speaker use s then ending z.
To clarify, the grammar does not change the pronunciation.
February 22, 2018
That's fascinating. Yes, I pronounce ”houses” as /ˈhaʊzɪz/ and ”house's” as ˈhaʊsɪz/.
February 11, 2022
Either pronunciation is acceptable, unless you are using "houses" as a verb. A skyscraper ˈhaʊzɪz offices; it cannot "houses" offices. Barracks ˈhaʊz soldiers, they do not ˈhaʊs soldiers. The middle sound has to be a 'z'.
Hope that helps!
February 11, 2022
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Mikkel
Language Skills
Chinese (Mandarin), Danish, English, German, Swedish
Learning Language
English, Swedish
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