How to pronounce "ivories" in English
ˈaɪvəɹiːz
EYE·vər·eez
Primary stress: EYE
Hear native speakers say ivories in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “ivories”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
EYE
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
vər
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
eez
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("EYE"). 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 "ivories" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "ivories is" sounds like "ivories-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "ivories" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“- I tickle the ivories, I give 'em a little, you know, a little afternoon delight, you know?”— WIREDWatch clip
“the cut on Prince as Prince banked by Ebony's ivories sharp natural flat goes”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“ebonies and ivories seamlessly.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“- You tickle the ivories?”— WIREDWatch clip
“obeyed him and swabbed your ivories with hydrogen peroxide you blocked a doorway and filled most of the living room the sofa”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
Practice Speaking “ivories”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
- I tickle the ivories, I give 'em a little, you know, a little afternoon delight, you know?
Hear it in context: “ivories”
5 clipsThe English word “ivories” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈaɪvəɹiːz (phonetic respelling: EYE-vər-eez). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (EYE · vər · eez), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (EYE). Grammatically, “ivories” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 5 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “ivories” in natural connected speech across American (US: 5 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from WIRED, Harvard University, TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #1 · @2:24
“- You tickle the ivories? - I tickle the ivories, I give 'em a little, you know, a little afternoon delight, you know? you know, a little afternoon delight, you know?”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #2 · @28:25
“Savior's own and who leads who dips when both bat fans with tongues lashes cut to the cut on Prince as Prince banked by Ebony's ivories sharp natural flat goes the trees face tress of the new doo-doo that man's at work playing this that Vox”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #3 · @3:11
“dress, and the fingers flying across the ebonies and ivories seamlessly. It looks very main character energy.”
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #4 · @2:23
“I know my way around the old black and whites. - You tickle the ivories? - I tickle the ivories, I give 'em a little,”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #5 · @49:59
“Mr Otto Van Brunt pronounced you EX ENT despite the cracked sounding board we obeyed him and swabbed your ivories with hydrogen peroxide you blocked a doorway and filled most of the living room the sofa peroxide you blocked a doorway and filled most of the living room the sofa”
Definition & Meaning: “ivories”
- The keys of a piano.
- The teeth.
Example Sentences (2)
- “- I tickle the ivories, I give 'em a little, you know, a little afternoon delight, you know?”
- “the cut on Prince as Prince banked by Ebony's ivories sharp natural flat goes”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “ivories”
- Pronunciation:
- EYE-vər-eez
- Syllables:
- EYE · vər · eez
- Written Hyphenation:
- i · vo · ries
- Primary stress:
- EYE
- IPA:
- ˈaɪvəɹiːz
- Hear it in context
- ivories
Words that Rhyme with “ivories”
-aɪvərizWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"ivories" (⁄ˈaɪvəɹiːz⁄) 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, "ivories" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about ivories
How do you pronounce “ivories”?
“ivories” is pronounced ⁄ˈaɪvəɹiːz⁄ (EYE-vər-eez). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “ivories”?
“ivories” has 3 syllables: EYE · vər · eez.
Where is the stress in “ivories”?
The primary stress in “ivories” is on “EYE”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “ivories” mean?
The keys of a piano.
How can I hear “ivories” used in real sentences?
This page has 5 real-world video examples of “ivories” 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 “ivories”?
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⁄).