How to pronounce "excuses" in EnglishVerb
ɪkˈskjuːzɪz
ik·SKYOO·ziz
Primary stress: SKYOO
Hear native speakers say excuses in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “excuses”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ik
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
SKYOO
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
ziz
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("SKYOO"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
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 "excuses" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "excuses is" sounds like "excuses-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "excuses" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“says that's Chinese for no rules no excuses no regrets I got it when I was”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“You barely manage to hide the scorecard in time, and the wizard excuses himself.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“diving no rules no excuses no regrets so I want you to think about”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“you can change break diving no rules no excuses no”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“rules no excuses no regrets what I want you to understand is the left side equals the right side forget all that convoluted stuff and think of this look”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“rules no excuses no regrets I talked about learned”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
Practice Speaking “excuses”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
says that's Chinese for no rules no excuses no regrets I got it when I was
Hear it in context: “excuses”
34 clipsThe English word “excuses” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ɪkˈskjuːzɪz (phonetic respelling: ik-SKYOO-ziz). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (ik · SKYOO · ziz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (SKYOO). Grammatically, “excuses” functions as a verb, noun and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 34 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “excuses” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TEDx Talks, TED-Ed.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #1 · @11:42
“in plain sight it's this tattoo on my own it says that's Chinese for no rules no excuses no regrets I got it when I was living in Shanghai and I do actually have one huge life regret they got it”
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #2 · @1:28
“But before he can finish, your boss walks into the tent. You barely manage to hide the scorecard in time, and the wizard excuses himself. and the wizard excuses himself.”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #3 · @15:06
“okay but how you guys know the answer break diving no rules no excuses no regrets so I want you to think about your wildest dreams I encourage you to close your eyes if you'd like to or you”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #4 · @14:21
“focus on the things that you can change how do you focus on those things that you can change break diving no rules no excuses no regrets I'm going to leave you with a three-step process that you can apply to”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #5 · @12:43
“success but it doesn't help anybody on the right side you have break diving no rules no excuses no regrets what I want you to understand is the left side equals the right side forget all that convoluted stuff and think of this look equals the right side forget all that convoluted stuff and think of this look”
Definition & Meaning: “excuses”
- To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
- To allow to leave, or release from any obligation.
- An explanation designed to avoid or alleviate guilt or negative judgment; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault.
- A defense to a criminal or civil charge wherein the accused party admits to doing acts for which legal consequences would normally be appropriate, but asserts that special circumstances relieve that party of culpability for having done those acts.
Example Sentences (3)
- “I excused him his transgressions.”
- “May I be excused from the table?”
- “says that's Chinese for no rules no excuses no regrets I got it when I was”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “excuses”
- Pronunciation:
- ik-SKYOO-ziz
- Syllables:
- ik · SKYOO · ziz
- Written Hyphenation:
- ex · cu · ses
- Primary stress:
- SKYOO
- IPA:
- ɪkˈskjuːzɪz
- Hear it in context
- excuses
Synonyms: “excuses”
Hear words related in meaning to “excuses” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “excuses”
-uzɪzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"excuses" (⁄ɪkˈskjuːzɪz⁄) 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, "excuses" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about excuses
How do you pronounce “excuses”?
“excuses” is pronounced ⁄ɪkˈskjuːzɪz⁄ (ik-SKYOO-ziz). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “excuses”?
“excuses” has 3 syllables: ik · SKYOO · ziz.
Where is the stress in “excuses”?
The primary stress in “excuses” is on “SKYOO”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “excuses” mean?
To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
How can I hear “excuses” used in real sentences?
This page has 34 real-world video examples of “excuses” 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 “excuses”?
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⁄).