Pronunciation

How to pronounce “scissors

“scissors” is pronounced /ˈsɪzɚz/ (SIZ-urz) in American English and /ˈsɪzəz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “scis”.
The sound

Say “scissors” in 2 beats

Say it like this

scissors

/ˈsɪzɚz/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˈsɪzəz/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. scisstress
  2. sorszɚz
IPA (American)
/ˈsɪzɚz/
IPA (British)
/ˈsɪzəz/
Respelling
SIZ-urz
Syllables
2 — SCIS-sors
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SCIS-sors. “scis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɪzɚz/

British

/ˈsɪzəz/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Watch out

Where “scissors” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    SKISS-ors

    the first c is silent and the double s is a z: SIZ-urz

Meaning

What “scissors” means

  1. noun

    an edge tool having two crossed pivoting blades

  2. noun

    a wrestling hold in which you wrap your legs around the opponents body or head and put your feet together and squeeze

  3. noun

    a gymnastic exercise performed on the pommel horse when the gymnast moves his legs as the blades of scissors move

Say it in a sentence

These scissors are too blunt to cut through thick paper.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

scissors”, answered

How do you pronounce “scissors”?

“scissors” is pronounced /ˈsɪzɚz/ (SIZ-urz) in American English and /ˈsɪzəz/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “scis”. Build it as SCIS-sors, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “scissors” have?

2: scis · sors. The beat lands on the first, “scis”.

Is “scissors” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɪzɚz/ (SIZ-urz); British English says /ˈsɪzəz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “scissors” mean?

As a noun: an edge tool having two crossed pivoting blades For example: “These scissors are too blunt to cut through thick paper.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “scissors”?

Stress the first syllable: SCIS-sors. “scis” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “scissors” 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.