Whats the rule that makes "please" pronounced the same as "pleas"?
Last Updated: 29.06.2025 12:48
What's (not “whats”) the rule?
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.
2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry list for Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez - NASCAR.com
Back in the day (circa 1300), it was written <plesen>.
If you're curious about why a word is spelled the way it's spelled, your first recourse should be etymonline dot com.
There's no rule.
Elon Musk’s Reign of Corruption Chronicled in Elizabeth Warren Report - Rolling Stone
Pleas is spelled <pleas> because it's the plural of pleas.
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.
Please is an anglicization of the French word plaisir.
You'll usually find your answer there.