Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

spiff

/spɪf/ adjective, noun, verb

Also a form of spliff

Forms spiffs spiffing spiffed

  1. adjective (archaic or regional, Yorkshire) Neat, smartly dressed, attractive.
  2. noun (uncountable) Attractiveness or charm in dress, appearance, or manner. “Without a diploma, he relies on spiff alone to climb the corporate ladder.”
  3. noun (countable, archaic, slang) A well-dressed man; a swell.
  4. noun (countable, commerce, slang) A bonus or other remuneration, given for reaching a sales goal or promoting the goods of a particular manufacturer. Originally from textile retailing, a percentage given for selling off surplus or out-of-fashion stock, of which the sales person could offer part as a discount to a customer.
  5. verb (transitive, informal) (usually with up or out) To make spiffy (attractive, polished, or up-to-date)
  6. verb (transitive, commerce, slang) To reward (a salesperson) with a spiff or bonus.
  7. verb (transitive, commerce, slang) To attach a spiff or bonus to the selling of (a product)

Synonyms

macaroni popinjay barbermonger beau blade blood buck carpet knight cockscomb dandy dike dood dude dudelet exquisite fashionable fast man fine gentleman fop foretop

Etymology

Unknown. See etymology discussion at spiffy.

Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “spiff”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details