clothes (pronunciation)

[bernik]

In my Robert & Collins dictionary, the pronunciation appears something like this: kləυðz

In another dictionary, I found : klow(dh)z

I'd like to know if most people really pronounce first the th,
and then the z sound (not very easy for a non-native speaker).
Or is it good policy to skip the th ?

 

[Grégoire]

When said at a quick, conversational pace, it sounds closer to "close"; the "th" is very lightly pronounced. But when said slower, the "th" sound is distinct and followed by the "z" sound.

 

[Gardefeu]

... mais même si c'est très peu, le th est toujours présent (hélas!) Eh oui, les Anglophones savent faire ça sans y penser, eux...

 

[Cath.S.]

I remember that whenever my ex-husband, who is from Dublin, pronounced that word, the th sound could be very distinctly heard as a dh, so I suppose it depends on local accents.

 

[bernik]

thanks to all !

 

[Aupick]

Here's a thread from the English-Only forum that may be of interest:

Charles IX's wife - Hendrix's album ... tricky possessive cases

 

[Randisi]

In American English, pronouncing 'clothes' simply as 'close' is entirely acceptable. I pronounce it this way all the time (but then I also say 'prolly' for 'probably' in fast casual conversation). Both my Websters and Miriam-Websters dictionaries list this pronunciation first.