Whats the rule that makes "please" pronounced the same as "pleas"?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 02:54
There's no rule.
If you're curious about why a word is spelled the way it's spelled, your first recourse should be etymonline dot com.
What's (not “whats”) the rule?
Nationals’ cornerstones come up big in series-opening win against Padres - The Washington Post
Back in the day (circa 1300), it was written <plesen>.
You'll usually find your answer there.
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.
Broncos 2025 minicamp takeaways - Mile High Report
Words are pronounced the way that they're pronounced.
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.
Please is an anglicization of the French word plaisir.
Greetings from Warsaw, Poland, where the flags are flying ahead of a key election - NPR
Pleas is spelled <pleas> because it's the plural of pleas.