The word "passes" is spelled with two s's, despite only one being pronounced. The reason for this lies in its origins, which come from the Old French verb "passer." In French, the double s is pronounced similarly to the English "s" sound. As a result, the spelling was carried over to English when the word was adopted, despite the pronunciation being simplified. The phonetic transcription for "passes" would be /ˈpæsɪz/.
Passes, typically used as a noun, refers to the act of moving or progressing past someone or something. It can also indicate a document or ticket that allows entry or permission to proceed. As a verb, "passes" is the third-person singular form of the verb "pass," meaning to move or go by or to transfer something from one person to another.
In the context of movement, passes can refer to surpassing or moving beyond a specific location or individual, whether by physical or metaphorical means. For example, an athlete can make passes to outmaneuver opponents in a sports game. In traffic, vehicles may take turns and allow others to make passes, granting them permission to move ahead.
In terms of a document or ticket, passes can represent an authorization or clearance to enter a particular place or obtain a privilege. This can include items like boarding passes for a flight or tickets for an event, granting the holder access to designated areas or services.
As a verb, passes can indicate the act of transferring ownership or presenting something to someone else. This could involve passing a ball in sports, passing a message along, or passing an object from one person's hands to another's.
Overall, "passes" encompasses a range of meanings related to movement, permission, and transfer, highlighting the act of surpassing, allowing entry, or transferring objects or information.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "passes" has its origins in the Old French word "passer", which means "to go by" or "to pass". This Old French term ultimately comes from the Latin word "passus", which has the same meaning.