Pronunciation

How to pronounce “says

“says” is pronounced /sɛz/ (SEZ), and /sɪz/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “says” in one beat

Say it like this

says

/sɛz/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. sayssɛz
IPA (American)
/sɛz/
IPA (British)
/sɛz/
Also accepted
/sɪz/
Respelling
SEZ
Syllables
1 — says
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɛz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “says” means

  1. noun

    the chance to speak

    let him have his say

  2. verb

    express in words

    He said that he wanted to marry her

  3. verb

    report or maintain

    He alleged that he was the victim of a crime

Say it in a sentence

The weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

says”, answered

How do you pronounce “says”?

“says” is pronounced /sɛz/ (SEZ), and /sɪz/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /sɛz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “says” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /sɛz/ — a single beat.

Is “says” /sɛz/ or /sɪz/?

Both. /sɛz/ is the form dictionaries list first (SEZ).

What does “says” mean?

As a noun: the chance to speak For example: “let him have his say” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “says”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɛz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “says” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.