Hadar Shemesh breaks down why serious and series sound so different. Series has three syllables and ends in /z/ despite the spelling. Serious squeezes two syllables together with a schwa sound in the middle.
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Welcome to the Influency Podcast. I'm Hadar, and this is how to Pronounce Friday, where we take a confusing word or word pair. We learn how to pronounce it and how to use it with confidence. Let's get started. Today, I'd like to talk to you about the two words furious, as in I'm being really serious right now, and series, as in a television series. Serious and series. And if you stick around, I'll also add a few words about the use of the word ceres in plural and singular form. So stick around. They both begin the. So it's an S sound going to a high E. So pull the lips and push the tongue forward. The body of the tongue almost touches the upper palate. It's it tight, tense sound. Then you round your lips for the R, lift the tongue up. R. And then you push it again for another high E sound. Siri. It's not siri. Siri. It's siri. Then to pronounce the word serious, you relax your tongue to a schwa sound, Seri. And then you close it with an S. Serious. Serious. Since there are two vowels that connect. Then you almost hear an intrusive sound in the middle. Listen. Serious. It helps us connect the two sounds. Serious. Serious. The word series, on the other hand, ends with the Z sound series. So you close it with a Z sound, although it's spelled with an S. Okay. Series. Series. Series. Three syllables, Serious. Two syllables, series. All right, now let me tell you one thing about the word series. A lot of people ask me how to use this word in plural form. So here's the thing. The word series is both singular and plural. It all depends on how you use it in context. So, for example, I can say, you know, I think Breaking Bad is an awesome television series. Okay, singular. And I can also say, there are so many television series I'd like to watch, but I just don't find the time for it. Okay, Plural form. And the pronunciation is absolutely the same. Serious. And serious. Okay. That was your how to Pronounce Friday episode. I hope you enjoyed it. And if you like the podcast, then consider subscribing to the podcast. And if you feel really crazy, you can even rate and review the podcast. And you can find me at Hadar Accentsway on Instagram, where you can DM me and ask for all the crazy, fancy, confusing words that you'd like to know how to pronounce. Have a beautiful day, and I'll see you next time. Sam.
