Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.
Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.
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How to Properly Pronounce Words With S or Z
A voiceless singular word stays voiceless when it's pluralized. Words that end with voiced sounds like rib and kid are made plural with a voiced Z sound at the end. People tend to learn oversimplified rules about making plurals with an S sound, and that gets reinforced by seeing an S in the spelling. If you're struggling to learn, remember that the pronunciation is driven by the sound that comes before it.
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