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Do Princes and Princess sound the same?
Without any context, would you be able to tell whether it’s princess or princes.
Is this scenario likely?
(Entering the house)
A: what are you two talking about?
B: Princes.
A: You mean a princess not many princes, right?
Do you address the words differently?
Thank you
Sep 21, 2019 6:00 PM
Answers · 6
2
No, they sound different enough for a native speaker to tell the difference pretty easily.
I've recorded an example. A native speaker knows which word is meant, in the places I have indicated with question marks, even though either word could make sense.
https://vocaroo.com/i/s1LqKcqQ6YCC
"Princess. Princes. Princess. Princes. Princess. Princes.
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a famous story about "The ???? and the Pea."
Shakespeare's play, Richard III, includes the story of the "???? in the Tower."
Hans Christian Andersen wrote a famous story about "The ???? and the Pea."
Shakespeare's play, Richard III, includes the story of the "???? in the Tower."
September 21, 2019
2
I'm afraid they are not pronounced the same. It's subtle, but a native speaker would never confuse them (unless perhaps there's a lot of noise on the call).
princes /ˈpɹɪnsəz/
princess /ˈpɹɪnˌsɛs/
September 21, 2019
They sound different. "Princes" sounds like [prints] with the addition of "iz" sound at the end. The 'i' of the 'iz' sound is very weak, and sometimes might be undetectable, so it could sound like [prints'z]. For princess [print-sess], there is an 'ess' sound at the end, and the last syllable is strong, sometimes even having stress for the word.
September 21, 2019
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Language Skills
English, Other
Learning Language
English
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