How to pronounce genes in American English

IPA /dʒinz/ Syllables 1 · jeenz Stress 1st syllable

JEENZ

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Americans pronounce genes as JEENZ (/dʒinz/). You'll hear it in sentences like "The human genome project mapped all the genes in human DNA" or "He explained how dominant and recessive genes determine eye color" — more examples below.

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Sound by sound

Every sound in "genes".

1 syllable, 4 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

j/dʒ/

Touch the front of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then release into a 'zh' position. Add vocal cord vibration.

ee/i/

Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.

n/n/

Touch the tip or front edge of your tongue to the roof of your mouth behind your teeth. Air flows through your nose.

z/z/

Same position as S, but add vocal cord vibration. Feel the buzz.

In real conversation

Hear "genes" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"He explained how dominant and recessive genes determine eye color."

hee uhk·SPLAYND HOW DAH·muh·nuhnt and ruh·SEH·suhv JEENZ duh·TUR·muhn AHY KUH·ler

"The human genome project mapped all the genes in human DNA."

dhuh HYOO·muhn JEE·nohm PRAH·jehkt MAPT AHL dhuh JEENZ ihn HYOO·muhn dee·ehn·AY

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Questions

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Is the American pronunciation of "genes" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "JEENZ" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.