Sound Gym
lice · lies
/laɪs/ vs /laɪz/ — same diphthong /aɪ/, only the final consonant differs: voiceless /s/ vs voiced /z/.
noun — plural of louse — tiny parasitic insects that live in hair or on skin — 'head lice' · 'body lice' · 'a lice treatment' — singular is louse
mouth shape
diphthong /aɪ/ — mouth opens wide on /a/ then glides to /ɪ/ — ends in voiceless /s/ — like 'price', 'mice', 'ice' — no buzz at the end
lice
/laɪs/
vowel length
noun — plural of lie — untrue statements made deliberately — 'telling lies' · 'white lies' · 'pack of lies' · 'lies, damned lies, and statistics'
mouth shape
same diphthong /aɪ/ as lice — only the final consonant changes: voiced /z/ — feel the buzz in your throat at the end — like 'prize', 'eyes', 'size'
lies
/laɪz/
vowel length
Final consonant spotlight — voiceless /s/ vs voiced /z/
lice
/laɪs/
/aɪ/ + voiceless /s/ — no buzz
like: price · mice · ice · dice
lies
/laɪz/
/aɪ/ + voiced /z/ — feel the buzz
like: prize · eyes · size · ties
Voicing test — feel the buzz
Place two fingers gently on your throat and say sss — no buzz. Now say zzz — you feel vibration. That is the only difference between /laɪs/ (lice) and /laɪz/ (lies): the final consonant is voiceless /s/ vs voiced /z/. The vowel /aɪ/ is identical in both.
Key difference
Identical vowel /aɪ/ in both. The distinction is the final consonant only.lice: voiceless /s/— like the end of “price” or “ice.”lies: voiced /z/— like the end of “prize” or “eyes.” The same voicing contrast appears in: rice/rise · price/prize · ice/eyes · nice/noise.
Example sentences
lice:“The nurse checked the children’s hair for lice.”
lice:“Head licespread easily among school children.”
lies:“He was caught telling liesto his parents.”
lies:“Sometimes a small white lie liesbehind a kind gesture.”
Hear it in a sentence
“The school sent a letter home warning parents about a lice outbreak.”
“She grew tired of his constant lies and ended the relationship.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
lice
Hear native speakers say “lice” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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lies
Hear native speakers say “lies” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
louse / lice family ▸
lie / lies family ▸
Related pairs
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