Say calves and check it
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Press record, say "calves" once or twice at normal speed, then stop. You will see which syllables matched and what to change.
Calves syllables
Calves has 1 syllable: KAVZ.
- KAVZkævz
KAVZ, one syllable. The l is silent, as it is in "calf" and "half", and the "-ves" plural is a v followed by a z.
The final -s is pronounced as a z because the sound before it is voiced.
Sounds to watch
The v sound
Rest your top teeth on your bottom lip and add voice. Keep it distinct from w, which uses rounded lips and no teeth.
The a in cat
Open the jaw wider than for eh and spread the lips slightly. The a in cat is a distinct vowel, not eh or ah.
Calves in a sentence
- The calves stayed close to their mothers all morning.
- His calves ached after the long climb.
Read either sentence into the recorder above. The check judges only the target word, so the rest of the sentence can be rough.
What Speakeroo listens for
These are the pronunciation patterns from Speakeroo’s speech feature catalog that this target tends to expose. The check above reports the ones it hears.
- Final -s ending unclearUse the correct /s/, /z/ or /ɪz/ ending and keep it audible.
- Extra syllable addedBlend adjacent sounds and avoid pronouncing silent letters.
- /v/ and /w/ confusedUse teeth-on-lip contact for /v/ and rounded lips without contact for /w/.
- Final consonant devoicedKeep the vocal folds vibrating through voiced endings such as /b/, /d/, /g/ and /z/.
- Consonant cluster reducedBuild the cluster one sound at a time without deleting a member.
Questions
How do you pronounce calves?
Calves is pronounced /ˈkævz/, or KAVZ in plain letters. It has one syllable.
How many syllables are in calves?
One. Calves is a single syllable: KAVZ.
How do you use calves in a sentence?
The calves stayed close to their mothers all morning. His calves ached after the long climb.
How is the ending of calves pronounced?
The final -s is pronounced as a z because the sound before it is voiced.
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