Whats the rule that makes "please" pronounced the same as "pleas"?
Last Updated: 02.07.2025 14:07
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.
If you're curious about why a word is spelled the way it's spelled, your first recourse should be etymonline dot com.
Please is an anglicization of the French word plaisir.
What do you remember that 95% of us have forgotten?
Words are pronounced the way that they're pronounced.
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.
Why are people calling the Biden/Harris administration a disaster for the US economy?
There's no rule.
What's (not “whats”) the rule?
Back in the day (circa 1300), it was written <plesen>.
Dave Chappelle and Mo Amer on Politics and Comedy, SNL Monologues - Variety
You'll usually find your answer there.