Whats the rule that makes "please" pronounced the same as "pleas"?
Last Updated: 29.06.2025 02:39
Words are pronounced the way that they're pronounced.
What's (not “whats”) the rule?
Please is an anglicization of the French word plaisir.
Israel is accused of the gravest war crimes in Gaza - BBC
There's no rule.
While you may reasonably ask why words are spelled the way they're spelled, it makes no sense to ask why they're pronounced the way they're pronounced.
You'll usually find your answer there.
Pleas is spelled <pleas> because it's the plural of pleas.
If you're curious about why a word is spelled the way it's spelled, your first recourse should be etymonline dot com.
Whence the <ea> I cannot say but some other words that were spelled <ai> in French are spelled <ea> in English: aise → ease, graisse → grease, fait → feat.
New iOS 26 design makes me want an iPhone 17 Air more than ever - 9to5Mac
Back in the day (circa 1300), it was written <plesen>.