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

“bluffs” is a form of

bluff

/blʌf/ noun, verb, adjective, proper noun

Forms bluffs bluffing bluffed bluffer bluffest

  1. noun (countable or uncountable) An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio. “That is only bluff, or That is only a bluff.”
  2. noun (poker, countable or uncountable) An attempt to represent oneself as holding a stronger hand than one actually does. “John’s bet was a bluff: he bet without even so much as a pair.”
  3. noun (US, dated, uncountable) The card game poker.
  4. noun (countable) One who bluffs; a bluffer.
  5. noun (slang, dated, countable or uncountable) Pretense, excuse.
  6. verb (poker) To make a bluff; to give the impression that one’s hand is stronger than it is. “John bluffed by betting without even a pair.”
  7. verb (by analogy) To frighten, deter, or deceive with a false show of strength or confidence; to give a false impression of strength or temerity in order to intimidate or gain some advantage. “The government claims it will call an election if this bill does not pass. Is it truly ready to do so, or is it bluffing?”
  8. verb To perform or achieve by bluffing. “We bluffed our way past the guards.”
  9. verb (Manglish, Singlish) To give false information intentionally, to lie (to someone), to deceive; to put on an act.
  10. noun A high, steep bank, for example by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.
  11. noun (Canadian Prairies) A small wood or stand of trees, typically poplar or willow.
  12. adjective Having a broad, flattened front. “the bluff bows of a ship”
  13. adjective Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front.
  14. adjective Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.
  15. adjective Roughly frank and hearty in one's manners. “a bluff answer”
  16. verb To fluff, puff or swell up.
  17. proper noun An unincorporated community in Fayette County, Alabama.
  18. proper noun A ghost town in Nome Census Area, Alaska.
  19. proper noun Synonym of Uptown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  20. proper noun An unincorporated community in Fayette County, Texas.

Synonyms

abrupt unceremonious blunt brusque Uptown Pittsburgh Pennsylvania four flush bluff out bold sheer

Etymology

Probably from Dutch bluffen (“to brag”), from Middle Dutch bluffen (“to make something swell; to bluff”); or from the Dutch noun bluf (“bragging”). Related to German verblüffen (“to stump, perplex”).

Related to Middle Low German blaff (“smooth”).

Possibly onomatopoeic, perhaps related to blow and puff.

Webster’s 1913

  1. adjective Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship.
  2. adjective Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front. "A bluff or bold shore." Falconer.
  3. noun A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face.
  4. noun An act of bluffing; an expression of self-confidence for the purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff, or a bluff.

Etymology [Cf. OD. blaf flat, broad, blaffaert one with a broad face, also, a boaster; or G. verblüffen to confuse, LG. bluffen to frighten; to unknown origin.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “bluff”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details