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Thread: Pronunciation: "us" vs "ous"

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    crazYgeeK is offline Member
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    Default Pronunciation: "us" vs "ous"

    Are they the same in pronunciation!
    Such as "plus", "circus", "mucus" and "mucous" ...
    Thank you so much!

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    Default Re: Pronunciation: "us" vs "ous"

    The word plus has the vowel/ʌ/ in BrE. The final vowel in surplus, mucus and mucous is/ə/.
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    crazYgeeK is offline Member
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    Default Re: Pronunciation: "us" vs "ous"

    Thank you, it seems that "ous" is always pronounced the same way in words that it terminates and the pronunciation of "us" depends on the word it terminates. I think in most two-syllable words, it is pronounced like "ous", except some one-syllable words such as "plus". Is this right?
    Thank you again!

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    Default Re: Pronunciation: "us" vs "ous"

    It depends on the word stress. When they appear in unstressed syllables, ous and us are usually pronounced /əs/. In stressed syllables, us is usually pronounced /ʌs/ in BrE. The only word that I can think of at the moment in which the stress falls on ous (rather than ouse) is nous, /naʊs/.
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