Again denotes repetition, return, or a renewed occurrence. In usage, it most often functions as an adverb or sentence adverb indicating repetition (e.g., “Do it again”). It can also serve as a noun, referring to a subsequent attempt or instance. The word carries subtle stress and pronunciation variations depending on emphasis and context.
- You may over-stress the first syllable and say A-GAIN instead of ə-GAIN; focus on a light, unstressed initial schwa while maintaining a stronger nucleus on the second syllable. - Some learners compress the second syllable into a quick /ən/ resulting in /əˈɡən/; keep a clear /eɪ/ or /ɛn/ nucleus to differentiate from other adverbs. - Dropping the final nasal in rapid speech—pronounce the /n/ clearly, even when talking quickly, to avoid sounding like a different word.
- US: emphasize rhoticity in connected speech; ensure /ɡeɪn/ maintains a bright, open diphthong; avoid lengthening the vowel unintentionally. - UK: can feature a more clipped /ɡen/ in fast speech; the second syllable often retains /eɪ/ or shifts to /ɛn/ in some accents; keep flapped or tapped /ɡ/ depending on locale. - AU: can show a more centralized vowel before final n; slight vowel reduction in fast speech; maintain a clear nucleus in /eɪ/ or /ɛn/ and a crisp /n/. IPA: US /əˈɡeɪn/ or /əˈɡɛn/; UK /əˈɡen/ or /əˈɡeɪn/; AU /əˈɡeɪn/ or /əˈɡɛn/.
"- Please say it again so I can hear clearly."
"- He tried again after the pause."
"- The teacher asked them to listen again to confirm."
"- We’ll begin again with a fresh approach."
Again comes from Old English onġean, attested as a compound formed by the prefix a-, here meaning ‘toward’ or ‘in repetition of,’ combined with -ginan ‘to begin, to do.’ The sense evolved from “to go toward” or “to do once more” to the adverbial sense of repetition or anew. Over time, Middle English speakers contracted onġeán to again, adjusting spelling to reflect pronunciation shifts in unstressed syllables. The word has cognates in Germanic languages that express repetition or return, and its usage broadened in Early Modern English to function as a general marker of recurrence in clauses. First known uses appear in religious and legal texts where repeated actions were described, and by the 16th–17th centuries, it had become a common adverbial particle in everyday speech and writing, retaining both the idea of repetition and renewal across varieties of English.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Again" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Again" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Again"
-ain sounds
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Phonetically, again is commonly /əˈɡeɪn/ in many contexts, with a secondary variant /əˈɡɛn/ in some dialects when the second syllable reduces to a mid-front vowel. Focus on a light schwa in the first syllable, then a clear stressed nucleus in the second: ə-GAYN or ə-GEN. Lip position: neutral rounded lips for the /ə/; glide into a front-open /eɪ/ or a lax /ɛn/ depending on dialect. IPA notes: US and UK often favor /əˈɡeɪn/; some American speakers may reduce to /əˈɡɛn/ in rapid speech.
Common errors include treating it as two equal syllables with stress on the first (A-GAIN) or pronouncing it as /əˈɡenn/ with a hard /n/ at the end. The correct stress is on the second syllable for most standard usages: ə-GAYN or ə-GEN. A frequent slip is reducing the /eɪ/ to a quick /e/ or collapsing the nucleus to a simple /n/ at the end; ensure a clear vowel glide or vowel quality in the second syllable, and avoid trailing consonant clusters after /n/.
In US/UK, the second syllable often bears a long vowel: /əˈɡeɪn/. Australians may exhibit a slightly more centralized schwa before the final vowel and a crisper /ɡeɪn/ with less rhoticity in some cases. Some UK speakers use /əˈɡɛn/ with a shorter, more clipped /ɛn/ in fast speech. Rhoticity can affect preceding vowel length and length of the nucleus, but the core nucleus remains a diphthong in the majority of varieties: /eɪ/ or /ɛn/ depending on dialectal timing and vowel shift.
The difficulty lies in the stress shift and the vowel nucleus in the second syllable. For many learners, the /eɪ/ diphthong requires precise tongue position, starting with a mid-open front vowel moving toward a high front position, while the first syllable remains a reduced schwa. In rapid speech, the nucleus can compress toward an /e/ or /ɪ/ sound, and some speakers insert a transitional consonant, making it sound like a two-syllable word. Mastery requires careful placement of the diphthong and awareness of syllable timing.
No, the final 'n' is typically pronounced in most dialects when the second syllable carries the nucleus vowel, as in /əˈɡeɪn/ or /əˈɡɛn/. Your mouth closes with the n-sound, producing a light nasal at the end. In extremely rapid or connected speech, you may hear a depressive nasal or elision of the /n/ in casual phrases like “gonna” patterns, but in careful pronunciation of Again, keep the /n/ audible to preserve the word’s integrity.
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- Shadowing: listen to 2 short sentences, imitate with exact timing; mirror speaker’s rhythm and intonation for second syllable emphasis. - Minimal Pairs: /ɡeɪn/ vs /ɡən/ (gain vs gen) and /eɪn/ vs /ɛn/ to fine-tune nucleus. - Rhythm Practice: insert a quick pause before the second syllable on challenging phrases like “say it again.” - Stress Practice: practice sentences with contrastive focus on “again” (e.g., “Do it AGAIN?”). - Recording: record yourself saying 5 variants, compare to a native sample to adjust nucleus quality and final nasal. - Context Sentences: “We’ll try again tomorrow.” “Say it again, please.”
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