2 syllables: a, way. Stress on way.
/əˈweɪ/
Say it backAway refers to movement from a place or position toward a distance or different direction, often implying departure or separation. It can function as an adverb, preposition, or adjective, conveying notions of distance, removal, or absence. In everyday usage, it frequently appears in phrases like “go away” or “take away,” signaling separation, dismissal, or progression from a current location or state.
"She walked away from the crowd and found a quiet spot."
"The team is away on tour this week, so the studio will be closed."
"Keep the sunlight away by drawing the curtains."
Pronounce it as /əˈweɪ/. Start with a schwa /ə/ in the first syllable, then stressed diphthong /eɪ/ in the second syllable. Place your tongue mid-low for the initial sound, and raise the front part of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth for /eɪ/, ending with a gentle lip rounding. You’ll feel a light y-glide as you move from /ə/ to /weɪ/. Audio references: [IPA: /əˈweɪ/].
Common errors include misplacing the stress on the first syllable (à-way) and truncating the second syllable to a simple /e/ or /ɛ/; or producing a clipped, nasalized /əweɪ/ without proper glide. Correct by maintaining the stressed second syllable /ˈweɪ/ with a clear rising diphthong from /ə/ to /eɪ/. Practice with a light jaw drop and a relaxed larynx to avoid glottal stops between /ə/ and /w/ or /eɪ/.
In US, UK, and AU, the core /əˈweɪ/ tends to keep the /eɪ/ as a rising vowel, with slight variations: US tends toward a more rhotic, smoother transition; UK often has crisper /eɪ/ and less vowel reduction in connected speech; AU typically features a centralized /ə/ in rapid speech and a slightly broader mouth opening for the /eɪ/ diphthong. All share primary stress on the second syllable, but vowel quality and connected speech timing differ.
The challenge lies in coordinating a relaxed schwa initial with the strong diphthong /eɪ/ that follows, plus maintaining a natural secondary stress rhythm in fluent speech. The transition from a weak /ə/ to the high front vowel /eɪ/ requires precise tongue height and jaw movement, while avoiding an over-advanced /ɔː/ or a clipped, monosyllabic delivery. Practicing the schwa-cleft and steady /eɪ/ glide helps reduce reluctance in connected speech.
A key nuance is that the primary stress sits on the second syllable, not the first, so you’ll hear /əˈweɪ/, with a clear /w/ before the vowel onset of the diphthong. This /w/ acts as a semi-consonant glide linking the schwa to /eɪ/. In rapid speech, you may perceive a quick vowel reduction in the first syllable, but the /ˈweɪ/ should remain audible.
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The word away comes from Old English afar, from a- (away) + far (distance). Its semantic evolution centers on direction and separation. In Middle English, afaren and afor became affire and thereafter away in modern forms. Early uses portrayed literal physical movement away from a place (to depart, to go afar) and gradually extended to abstract departures (away from rules, away from pain). The asyndetic prefix a- in Old English frequently signified separation or removal, and far contributed the sense of distance and motion. By the 15th century, away was established as a general adverbial and prepositional marker indicating distance or removal. Over centuries, away also gained idiomatic uses in phrases like “away with you” and “take away,” consolidating its function as a flexible marker of movement, separation, or absence across verbs, adjectives, and nouns. Cross-linguistic parallels exist in Germanic languages where similar particles express departure or removal, underscoring its core spatial-semantic function. In contemporary English, away remains highly productive in compounds and phrasal verbs, preserving its core sense of directionality while enriching pragmatic nuance in conversation and writing.
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Words that rhyme with "away"
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