How to pronounce "devoices" in English
de·voi·ces
Hear native speakers say devoices in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “devoices”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
de
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
voi
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ces
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Keep the vowel length balanced, placing subtle emphasis on the root morpheme according to standard conversational rhythm.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "devoices" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "devoices is" sounds like "devoices-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "devoices" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“If the plural is underlyingly a "z" and then we say it devoices after a voiceless consonant.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“So yeah, hypothesis two, the plural is underlying a "z," and it devoices after voiceless consonants.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“And English has repairs, things it does, it devoices, or it introduces a schwa.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“So again, the "i" that's after the "sh" devoices because there's a voiceless sound after.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“There's a rule that says "b" voices when it's final, and a rule that says "d" devoices when it's final, and a rule that says "g" devoices when it's-- yeah?”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“And I have been incautiously saying things like, "Polish devoices its final consonants," which was a lie.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
Practice Speaking “devoices”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
If the plural is underlyingly a "z" and then we say it devoices after a voiceless consonant.
Hear it in context: “devoices”
8 clipsThe English word “devoices”. Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (de · voi · ces). Grammatically, “devoices” functions as a verb. SayItVid indexes 8 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “devoices” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from MIT OpenCourseWare.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #1 · @4:42
“Suppose we do it the other way around. If the plural is underlyingly a "z" and then we say it devoices after a voiceless consonant. we say it devoices after a voiceless consonant.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #2 · @7:00
“So maybe that's an argument for making that move. So yeah, hypothesis two, the plural is underlying a "z," and it devoices after voiceless consonants. and it devoices after voiceless consonants.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #3 · @35:40
“by a voiceless sounding, which doesn't allow words like that. And English has repairs, things it does, it devoices, or it introduces a schwa. or it introduces a schwa.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #4 · @22:06
“it's "atarashii". So again, the "i" that's after the "sh" devoices because there's a voiceless sound after. devoices because there's a voiceless sound after.”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #5 · @16:39
“are four rules, actually. There's a rule that says "b" voices when it's final, and a rule that says "d" devoices when it's final, and a rule that says "g" devoices when it's-- yeah? and a rule that says "d" devoices when it's final,”
Definition & Meaning: “devoices”
- To pronounce a sound with little or no vibration of the vocal cords, especially a sound that is normally pronounced with such vibration (i.e. a voiced sound).
- To remove the voice flag from a user on IRC, preventing them from sending messages to the channel.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Lastly, as shown in the consonant table above, h- causes any following consonant to be devoiced[.]”
- “If the plural is underlyingly a "z" and then we say it devoices after a voiceless consonant.”
- “So yeah, hypothesis two, the plural is underlying a "z," and it devoices after voiceless consonants.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “devoices”
- Syllables:
- de · voi · ces
- Hear it in context
- devoices
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"devoices" has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "devoices" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about devoices
How many syllables are in “devoices”?
“devoices” has 3 syllables: de · voi · ces.
What does “devoices” mean?
To pronounce a sound with little or no vibration of the vocal cords, especially a sound that is normally pronounced with such vibration (i.e. a voiced sound).
How can I hear “devoices” used in real sentences?
This page has 8 real-world video examples of “devoices” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “devoices”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).