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Hindi · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "पुलिस" in Hindi?
pu-LIS — a dry p and two short lax vowels; nothing in this word is long.
pulis
English speakers hear their own word "police" and lengthen the second vowel, which is exactly the wrong adjustment — both vowels here are short and the whole word passes quickly.
Listen: पुलिस
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
पुलिस सड़क पर नज़र रखती है।
Pulis saṛak par nazar rakhtee hai.
The police watch the street.
Listen: पुलिस सड़क पर नज़र रखती है।
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"Pulis saṛak par nazar rakhtee hai" treats pulis as feminine singular, which is why rakhtee takes the -ee ending. Saṛak's retroflex flap and nazar's nuqta ज़ make the rest of the sentence harder than the subject.
Where English speakers slip
The English source word pulls learners toward "puh-LEECE" with a long second vowel and an aspirated p. Hindi keeps both vowels short and lax and the p completely dry. The l should also stay bright rather than darkening before the s.