How to pronounce "wretches" in English
ˈrɛt.ʃɪz
RET·shiz
Primary stress: RET
Hear native speakers say wretches in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “wretches”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
RET
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
shiz
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("RET"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: The letter "w" before "r" in "wretches" is completely silent.
How Native Speakers Say It: Start directly with the postalveolar approximant /r/ sound. Do not round your lips for a "w" glide.
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "wretches" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "wretches is" sounds like "wretches-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "wretches" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Quote, "Can it gain belief that this scene of misery proved entertainment to the brutal wretches without?"”— StanfordWatch clip
“"The rain makes them howl like dogs, and the profane wretches often turn themselves, of one side making a shelter”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“wretches, take your fill of the fine spectacle."”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“a fact we were unaware of, until after the miserable wretches turned beneath the hooves of our cavalcade.”— TEDWatch clip
“voices of the forest mocked him crying faith faith as if bewildered wretches”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“the glory of the blacks and terror of tyrants, is enough to convince the most avaricious and stupid of wretches?” Alright Stan, this is going to take some serious critical thinking skills so let’s break this down.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “wretches”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Quote, "Can it gain belief that this scene of misery proved entertainment to the brutal wretches without?"
Hear it in context: “wretches”
33 clipsThe English word “wretches” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈrɛt.ʃɪz (phonetic respelling: RET-shiz). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (RET · shiz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (RET). Grammatically, “wretches” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 33 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “wretches” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Stanford, YaleCourses, TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #1 · @25:22
“violent confusion. The prison guards seemed to find this amusing. Holwell was incensed. Quote, "Can it gain belief that this scene of misery proved entertainment to the brutal wretches without?" proved entertainment to the brutal wretches without?"”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #2 · @44:59
“food. "The rain makes them howl like dogs, and the profane wretches often turn themselves, of one side making a shelter wretches often turn themselves, of one side making a shelter”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #3 · @8:03
“and cried, "There you riches, you wretches, take your fill of the fine spectacle." Right? Um he says, "This anecdote signifies that anger sometimes spectacle." Right? Um he says, "This”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDClip #4 · @5:21
“often, I regret to say, exhausted, but still alive, a fact we were unaware of, until after the miserable wretches turned beneath the hooves of our cavalcade. turned beneath the hooves of our cavalcade.”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #5 · @40:04
“Brown Faith shouted Goodman Brown in a voice of Agony and Desperation and the voices of the forest mocked him crying faith faith as if bewildered wretches were seeking her all through the Wilderness I couldn't believe it when I”
Definition & Meaning: “wretches”
- An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
- An unpleasant, annoying, worthless, or despicable person.
- Plural form of wretch, referring to unfortunate, unhappy, or despicable people.
Example Sentences (3)
- “The poor wretch, who lay motionless a long time, just began to recover his senses as a stage-coach came by.”
- “Swear to me but, thou bold wretch! said she, swear to me, that Pamela Andrews is really and truly thy lawful wife, without sham, without deceit, without double-meaning; and I know what I have to say!”
- “Holwell was incensed. Quote, "Can it gain belief that this scene of misery proved entertainment to the brutal wretches without?"”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “wretches”
- Pronunciation:
- RET-shiz
- Syllables:
- RET · shiz
- Written Hyphenation:
- wretch · es
- Primary stress:
- RET
- IPA:
- ˈrɛt.ʃɪz
- Hear it in context
- wretches
Words that Rhyme with “wretches”
-ɛtʃɪzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"wretches" (⁄ˈrɛt.ʃɪz⁄) 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, "wretches" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about wretches
How do you pronounce “wretches”?
“wretches” is pronounced ⁄ˈrɛt.ʃɪz⁄ (RET-shiz). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “wretches”?
“wretches” has 2 syllables: RET · shiz.
Where is the stress in “wretches”?
The primary stress in “wretches” is on “RET”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “wretches” mean?
An unhappy, unfortunate, or miserable person.
How can I hear “wretches” used in real sentences?
This page has 33 real-world video examples of “wretches” 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 “wretches”?
The letter "w" before "r" in "wretches" is completely silent. Start directly with the postalveolar approximant /r/ sound. Do not round your lips for a "w" glide.