-S/-ES Endings: Dogs, Bats, & Finches

Have you noticed how words spelled with an -S/-ES at the end can have different pronunciations in English?

Have a listen to the following words.

Can you hear how the -S/-ES endings are pronounced in 3 different ways?

• Dogs – /dɔgz/
• Bats – /cæts/
• Finches – /fɪnʧəz/

Could you pick out the 3 pronunciations? They are:

• /z/ as in Dogs – /dɔgz/
• /s/ as in Bats – /bæts/
• /əz/ as in Finches – /ˈfɪnʧəz/

This occurs based on the sound that comes before the -S/-ES in the word’s spelling.

It happens to any words ending in -S/-ES.

Most commonly you’ll see it in:

• Pluralised words – e.g. bats, dogs, finches, cows
• Verb conjugations – e.g. he walks, she watches, he wanders, she was
• Auxiliary verb contractions – e.g. She’s, he’s, it’s, Bill’s
• The possessive ‘‘s’ – e.g. Pete’s, David’s, James’s, Tay’s

What are the rules?

As we’ve covered above, there are 3 types of -S/-ES endings in English.

Type 1: -S/-ES is pronounced as /s/ after any unvoiced consonant such as: /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, and /θ/.

For example:

• Pups – /pɐps/
• Tats – /tæts/
• Backs – /bæks/
• Steph’s – /stefs/
• Months – /mɐnθs/

Remember, some words may be spelled with silent vowels at the end before the -S/-ES, but the sound before it is a consonant sound, and therefore the -S/-ES is pronounced as a /s/ sound.

For example:

• Wipes – /wɑeps/
• States – /stæɪts/
• Fakes – /fæɪks/
• Safes – /sæɪfs/

Type 2: -S/-ES is pronounced as /z/ after any vowel sound or voiced consonant sound such as: /æɪ/, /ɪə/, /b/, /d/, /g/, /m/, and /ð/.

For example:

• Stabs – /stæbz/
• Days – /dæɪz/
• Years – /jɪəz/
• Gigs – /gɪgz/
• Nuns – /nɐnz/
• Bathes – /bæɪðz/

Remember, don’t let the spelling of words fool you.

Whether or not the word is spoken with a vowel sound at the end is what’s important.

For example:

• Days – /dæɪz/
• Years – /jɪəz/
• Cows – /kæʊz/

Type 3: -S/-ES is pronounced as /əz/ after the consonants: /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ʧ/, and /ʤ/.

For example:

• Bosses – /ˈbɔsəz/
• Roses – /ˈrəʉzəz/
• Splashes – /ˈsplæʃəz/
• Beiges – /ˈbæɪʒəz/
• Churches – /ˈʧɜːʧəz/
• Judges – /ˈʤɐʤəz/

For the linguistic nerds: These consonants are known as fricative consonants and affricate consonants. Fricative consonants include /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/ and are consonants that are made when you squeeze air through a small hole or gap in your mouth. Affricate consonants include /ʧ/ and /ʤ/ and are consonants that begin as a stop and release as a fricative, generally with the same place of articulation.

How is the sound made?

We’ve already covered the pronunciation of /s/ and /z/ in previous lessons in the consonant section of this course, so refer there for how to make those sounds.

The Type 3 ending /əz/ is made by inserting a quick schwa /ə/ vowel sound, as in the words ‘above’ or ‘banana’, after any words that end with /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /ʧ/, or /ʤ/ followed by the -S/-ES ending.

We’ve also covered the pronunciation of the schwa /ə/ vowel sound in a previous lesson in the vowel section of this course, so refer there for how to make this sound.

Let’s repeat those Type 3 examples from before but this time I want you to pay attention to the schwa /ə/ vowel sound followed by the /z/ sound as we add it to each word. Listen and repeat after me.

• Boss – /bɔs/
• Bosses – /ˈbɔsəs/
• Doze – /dəʉz/
• Dozes – /ˈdəʉzəz/
• Splash – /splæʃ/
• Splashes – /ˈsplæʃəz/
• Beige – /bæɪʒ/
• Beiges – /ˈbæɪʒəz/
• Church – /ʧɜːʧ/
• Churches – /ˈʧɜːʧəz/
• Judge – /ʤɐʤ/
• Judges – /ˈʤɐʤəz/

Note: this /əz/ is always unstressed, hence why the schwa /ə/ vowel sound is being used.

In the following exercise I’m going to say 25 words with -S/-ES endings.

Listen and repeat these words out loud after me. Repeat the exercise a second time and write the corresponding IPA symbol for the pronunciation of the -S/-ES, as /z/, /s/, or /əz/, in each word next to it.

Let’s go!

Exercise 1.1: -S/-ES Endings Pronunciation Exercise

1. Pups
2. Loathes
3. Hers
4. Wolves’
5. Frees
6. Rich’s
7. Vans
8. Mum’s
9. Zits
10. Cows
11. Massages
12. Lies
13. Oaks
14. Lungs
15. Ridges
16. Oil’s
17. Cubs
18. Earths
19. Fires
20. Lags
21. Fizzes
22. Adds
23. Steph’s
24. Yeses
25. Tours

Answers – Exercise 1.1: -S/-ES Endings Pronunciation Exercise

1. Pups – /pɐps/                       – /s/
2. Loathes – /ləʉðz/                      – /z/
3. Hers – /hɜːz/                        – /z/
4. Wolves’ – /wʊlvz/                     – /z/
5. Frees – /friːz/                         – /z/
6. Rich’s – /ˈrɪʧəz/                      – /əz/
7. Vans – /vænz/                      – /z/
8. Mum’s – /mɐmz/                     – /z/
9. Zits – /zɪts/                         – /s/
10. Cows – /kæʊz/                      – /z/
11. Massages – /ˈmæsɐːʒəz/ – /əz/
12. Lies – /lɑez/                        – /z/
13. Oaks – /əʉks/                       – /s/
14. Lungs – /lɐŋz/                        – /z/
15. Ridges – /ˈrɪʤəz/                    – /əz/
16. Oil’s – / oɪlz/                        – /z/
17. Cubs – /kɐbz/                        – /z/
18. Earths – /ɜːθs/                        – /s/
19. Fires – /ˈfɑeəz/                     – /z/
20. Lags – /lægz/                       – /z/
21. Fizzes – /ˈfɪzəz/                      – /əz/
22. Adds – /ædz/                        – /z/
23. Steph’s – /stefs/                       – /s/
24. Yeses – /ˈjesəz/                      – /əz/
25. Tours – /tʉəz/                        – /z/

Drilling exercises!

The topics below include drilling exercises for each of the pronunciation points you just learnt.

If you want to “drill down” and practice any or all of these pronunciation points, you can do so with these video exercises in order to solidify your pronunciation of these sounds.

If you can already pronounce these sounds with confidence, skip ahead to the next lesson.

But if you still have a little trouble either remembering the rules or making the sounds themselves, complete these exercises on a regular basis until you’ve nailed the pronunciation.

Tip: shorter and more frequent drilling sessions (e.g. 5 minutes per day) are more effective than longer infrequent sessions (e.g. 1 hour per week)