Whats the rule that makes "please" pronounced the same as "pleas"?
Last Updated: 21.06.2025 20:00
If you're curious about why a word is spelled the way it's spelled, your first recourse should be etymonline dot com.
Back in the day (circa 1300), it was written <plesen>.
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.
Scientists Stunned as Rare Phenomenon Emerges from Arctic’s Icy Depths - Indian Defence Review
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.
Pleas is spelled <pleas> because it's the plural of pleas.
You'll usually find your answer there.
Department of Homeland Security lists Buncombe County as 'sanctuary jurisdiction' - WLOS
Words are pronounced the way that they're pronounced.
There's no rule.
What's (not “whats”) the rule?
Please is an anglicization of the French word plaisir.