grease — choose the word that rhymes with the given word

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word that rhymes with "grease." Rhyming words have the same ending sound, so we compare how the words are pronounced, not how they are spelled.

Concept: "Grease" can be pronounced in two ways:

• As a noun (cooking grease), it is /ɡriːs/ and ends in a voiceless "s."
• As a verb (to grease a pan), it is /ɡriːz/ and ends in a "z" sound.

In either case, the vowel is the long /iː/ sound, as in "geese" or "peace."

Step-by-step comparison:

• A. phrase is /freɪz/. The vowel is /eɪ/, so it does not rhyme.
• B. brace is /breɪs/. The vowel is /eɪ/. Its spelling ends like "grease," but the sound is different, so it does not rhyme.
• C. fees is /fiːz/. It has the long /iː/ vowel and ends in "z," which matches "grease" when it is pronounced /ɡriːz/ (the verb). This is a rhyme.
• D. rinse is /rɪns/. The vowel is short /ɪ/, followed by "ns," so it does not rhyme.

Answer: The only word with the same /iː/ vowel sound is fees, so the answer is C.

Note: Strictly, the noun "grease" /ɡriːs/ would rhyme with "peace," but that is not among the options. Among those given, "fees" is the only one with the matching vowel, so it is the best choice.

Tip: In rhyme questions, ignore spelling and say each word aloud. Focus on the vowel sound and the sounds after it. Words like "brace" and "grease" can look similar but sound very different.