4 syllables: A, nal, o, gies. Stress on nal.
uh-NAL-uh-jeez
/əˈnælədʒiz/
Analogies is pronounced uh-NAL-uh-jeez (/əˈnælədʒiz/). It has four syllables (A-nal-o-gies), with the stress on "nal". Analogies are logical comparisons that explain or illustrate relationships between two or more things by highlighting similarities. They often take the form of a-b: c-d, helping readers or listeners understand unfamiliar concepts by relating them to familiar ones. In linguistics or reasoning contexts, analogies aid inference and argument structure, and they’re commonly used in tests, essays, and critical thinking discussions.
nounAnalogies are logical comparisons that explain or illustrate relationships between two or more things by highlighting similarities. They often take the form of a-b: c-d, helping readers or listeners understand unfamiliar concepts by relating them to familiar ones. In linguistics or reasoning contexts, analogies aid inference and argument structure, and they’re commonly used in tests, essays, and critical thinking discussions.
"• In his essay, he used analogies to compare economic policy to steering a ship through rough seas."
"• The teacher’s analogies helped students grasp complex scientific concepts."
"• She drew analogies between language learning and athletic training to motivate the class."
Pronounce as /əˈnæl.ə.dʒiz/ in American English (stress on the second syllable). Break it into a-na-LO-ji (slightly reducing the ending). With careful articulation: the /æ/ in the second syllable is clear, the /dʒ/ blends into a voiced z at the end, so end with /-dʒɪz/. In UK/AU, you’ll hear /əˈnæ.lə.dʒiːz/ (the final syllable more elongated in careful speech). Audio reference: channel recordings on Pronounce, Forvo, or Rachel’s English can illustrate the secondary stress and /dʒ/ onset.
Common errors: 1) Slurring the /dʒ/ into a plain /d/ or /t/ and losing the /dʒ/ glide; 2) Underemphasizing or misplacing the secondary stress on the -lo- syllable, making the word sound like a-two-syllable instead of tri-syllabic; 3) Ending with a hard /z/ instead of the voiced /z/ in /-dʒiz/. Correction tips: articulate /dʒ/ as a single affricate with a brief palatal release, maintain the middle /ə/ as a schwa, and keep the final /z/ voice consistent; practice with minimal pairs to feel the difference.
In US English, you’ll hear /əˈnæl.ə.dʒiz/ with /æ/ in the second syllable and a clearly voiced /dʒ/; the final /z/ is voiced. UK English tends to have a slightly crisper /dʒ/ and may slightly lengthen the final vowel /iːz/ in careful speech, yielding /əˈnæ.lə.dʒiːz/. Australian tends to be closer to US but with reduced vowel clarity and a more centralized schwa in the middle; final /ɪz/ can shift toward /iːz/. The key across accents: ensure the /dʒ/ onset is distinct, the middle vowel is articulated, and the final z is voiced.
Because it contains a multisyllabic structure with a mid-stress shift and a palato-alveolar affricate /dʒ/ that can be tricky to coordinate with the intersyllabic vowel reduced to /ə/. The progression a-nal-o-gies requires precise timing: strong secondary stress on the second syllable, a clear /æ/ before /l/, and a smooth /dʒ/ onset before the final /ɪz/ or /iːz/. Practicing the sequence slowly, then speeding up, helps stabilize the tongue, lips, and jaw positioning for natural rhythm.
A unique feature is the combination of a short schwa in the second syllable followed by a strong /dʒ/ onset in the third syllable, which makes the transition from the -lo- to -gies segment critical. You should visually imagine the mouth opening slightly for /ə/ on the first 'a', then a quick, crisp /næl/ with the /æ/ clearly sung, before the /ə/ to /dʒ/ glide—this is where many learners blur the syllable boundary.
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Analogy comes from the late Latin analogia, from Greek analogia, meaning ‘proportion, similarity,’ from ana- ‘up, through’ + logos ‘ratio, proportion, speech.’ The root logos (reason, word) underpins many English terms, and analogy originally referred to a proportional relationship between two pairs in Greek geometry and philosophy. In Latin, analogia broadened to refer to similarity in relations, not just form. During the 16th–18th centuries, scholars extended analogia to rhetoric and grammar, describing persuasive textual relationships. By the 19th century, analogy became central in logic, science, and education as a cognitive tool for reasoning and inference. Today, analogies are common in textbooks, standardized testing, and everyday explanation, functioning as cognitive bridges that map known concepts onto new ideas, while also shaping metaphorical language and argumentative structure.
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Words that rhyme with "Analogies"
-ies sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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