English pronunciation · Words Starting with A
Ancestors Pronunciation
Ancestors is pronounced AN-se-sterz, IPA /ˈænˌsɛstɝz/.
AN-se-sterz
US /ˈænˌsɛstɝz/ · UK /ˈænsɛstəz/
Syllables: AN · se · sterz (3 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun (plural): The people in your family who lived before you, usually generations back.
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Ancestors in a Sentence
- Her ancestors farmed the same two fields for centuries.
- We traced our ancestors as far as a parish register from 1689.
- Birds and dinosaurs share common ancestors.
Common Mispronunciations of Ancestors
Not an-SES-torz
The ending is a dull sterz with no o sound in it at all, and the front beat keeps the volume. Spelling an o there tempts a vowel the word refuses.
Not AN-ses-torss
An r before the plural ending always leaves it voiced, so this one hums rather than hisses, exactly as doors and letters do.
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