Pronunciation

How to pronounce “services

“services” is pronounced /ˈsɝvəsəz/ (SUR-vuh-suhz) in American English and /sɜːvɪsɪz/ in British English, and /ˈsɝvɪsɪz/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ser”.
The sound

Say “services” in 3 beats

Say it like this

services

/ˈsɝvəsəz/

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

3 beats
  1. serstress
  2. vic
  3. essəz
IPA (American)
/ˈsɝvəsəz/
IPA (British)
/sɜːvɪsɪz/
Also accepted
/ˈsɝvɪsɪz/
Respelling
SUR-vuh-suhz
Syllables
3 — SER-vic-es
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SER-vic-es. “ser” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɝvəsəz/

British

/sɜːvɪsɪz/

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

Meaning

What “services” means

  1. noun

    performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others

    the mayor tried to maintain city services

  2. noun

    work done by one person or group that benefits another

    budget separately for goods and services

  3. noun

    an act of help or assistance

    he did them a service

Say it in a sentence

The hotel offers laundry services for an extra fee.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

services”, answered

How do you pronounce “services”?

“services” is pronounced /ˈsɝvəsəz/ (SUR-vuh-suhz) in American English and /sɜːvɪsɪz/ in British English, and /ˈsɝvɪsɪz/ is also accepted — 3 syllables, stressed on “ser”. Build it as SER-vic-es, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “services” have?

3: ser · vic · es. The beat lands on the first, “ser”.

Is “services” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɝvəsəz/ (SUR-vuh-suhz); British English says /sɜːvɪsɪz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “services” mean?

As a noun: performance of duties or provision of space and equipment helpful to others For example: “the mayor tried to maintain city services” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “services”?

Stress the first syllable: SER-vic-es. “ser” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “services” 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.