Final -s: cats, dogs and horses

The ending in cats, dogs and horses has three pronunciations. Choose by the last sound of the base word, rather than its last letter.

These examples follow General American English. Other accents can differ.

Choose the ending in this order

Last sound of the base word	Add	Examples
/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ or /dʒ/ (hissing or shushing sounds)	/ɪz/ — one extra syllable	buses, roses, dishes, garages, watches, bridges
/p/, /t/, /k/, /f/ or /θ/ (other voiceless sounds)	/s/ — no extra syllable	cups, cats, books, laughs, months
A vowel or another voiced consonant	/z/ — no extra syllable	keys, dogs, rooms, plays

Check the first row before the voiced/voiceless rule: /s/ is voiceless, but buses needs the extra syllable. The weak vowel in /ɪz/ can also sound like /ə/ in American speech, so dictionaries may show /əz/.

Feel the voice and count syllables

Hold /s/, then /z/, with a hand lightly on your throat. /s/ has no voice buzz; /z/ has one. Now say cat → cats /kæts/ and dog → dogs /dɔːɡz/. Both stay one syllable. Horse → horses /ˈhɔrsɪz/ goes from one syllable to two.

Do not insert a vowel into cats or dogs. Join the ending directly to the base word. Keep the ending audible: it helps show that you mean more than one.

The same sound rules serve several jobs

Regular plurals: two cats /s/, two dogs /z/, two horses /ɪz/.
Present-tense verbs with he, she or it: she cooks /s/, he runs /z/, it finishes /ɪz/.
Possessive ’s: Pat’s /s/, Sam’s /z/, Rose’s /ɪz/.

These are ending rules, not a rule for every written s. Irregular plurals and some verbs need separate learning: children, has, does and says. Some base words change too: leaf → leaves ends in /vz/.

Sort the endings yourself

Say these words and choose /s/, /z/ or /ɪz/: maps, bags, wishes, plays, laughs, judges. Which add a syllable?

Show the answers and reasons

Maps: /s/.: Map ends in voiceless /p/, so the ending is /s/ with no extra syllable. Read the guide
Bags: /z/.: Bag ends in voiced /?/, so the ending is /z/ with no extra syllable. Read the guide
Wishes: /?z/.: Wish ends in /?/, so the ending adds a syllable. Read the guide
Plays: /z/.: Play ends in a voiced vowel, so the ending is /z/. Read the guide
Laughs: /s/.: Laugh ends in voiceless /f/, so the ending is /s/. Read the guide
Judges: /?z/.: Judge ends in /d?/, so the ending adds a syllable. Read the guide

On the sound chart, compare /s/ and /z/ in example words. Then say your own plural or verb ending using the table above.

Hear /s/ and /z/ in words

Next: the three final -ed sounds. Its extra-syllable rule uses a different group of sounds.

Explore all pronunciation guides