DAM-uh-juhz
/ˈdæmədʒəz/
damages is pronounced DAM-uh-juhz (/ˈdæmədʒəz/). Damages can refer to monetary compensation awarded for loss or harm, or to physical destruction of property. In legal contexts, it denotes compensation claimed or awarded, while in everyday usage it can mean wear or harm done to something. The plural noun is typically pronounced with the stress on the first syllable and has a voiced final consonant cluster, reflecting its morphophonemic suffix -es.
Damages can refer to monetary compensation awarded for loss or harm, or to physical destruction of property. In legal contexts, it denotes compensation claimed or awarded, while in everyday usage it can mean wear or harm done to something. The plural noun is typically pronounced with the stress on the first syllable and has a voiced final consonant cluster, reflecting its morphophonemic suffix -es.
- Under- or over-stressing the first syllable, making the word sound like da-MAJ-ez or DAH-mages; aim for /ˈdæ.mɪ.dʒɪz/ steady two-stress rhythm. - Slurring the second syllable into a muddy /dʒɪz/ or mispronouncing as /dæ.dʒəz/; keep /mɪ/ and /dʒɪz/ distinct. - Final /z/ devoicing to /s/ in rapid speech; ensure vocal fold vibration for /z/.
"The widow sought damages for the breach of contract."
"The storm caused damages to several homes in the neighborhood."
"The court awarded damages to the plaintiff after reviewing the evidence."
DAM-ɪdʒɪz in US/UK/AU. Primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈdæ.mɪdʒɪz/. The first vowel is a short æ like cat, the second syllable is a reduced /ɪ/ in most speech, and the final /dʒɪz/ contains the /dʒ/ as in judge and a voiced z ending. Tip: keep the /ɡ/ soft and avoid an extra syllable }, adjust to connected speech in rapid talk.
Common errors include over-emphasizing the second syllable: da-MA-dges; inserting an extra /ə/ before -dʒɪz; or mispronouncing the final /z/ as /s/. Correct by maintaining strong first syllable /ˈdæ/ and keeping the final segment as /dʒɪz/, not /dʒɪs/. Practice minimal pairs like /ˈdæ.mɪ.dʒɪz/ vs /ˈdæ.mɪ.dʒəz/ to feel the ending.
In US and UK, the sequence /ˈdæ.mɪ.dʒɪz/ remains common; US may show a slightly more flapped or lax /d/ and a shorter /ɪ/; UK may retain crisper vowels. Australian English can have a slightly broader /æ/ and a softer /ɪ/ while keeping /dʒɪz/ intact. The rhoticity doesn’t affect this word significantly; the key is first-syllable stress and /dʒ/ cluster.
Because of the consonant cluster /dʒ/ following a stressed short vowel and the plural /-ɪz/. The shift from damage to damages adds an extra syllable and the /ɪ/ vowel in the second syllable can collapse in fast speech. The challenge is keeping the /dʒ/ as a single affricate after a crisp /æ/ and not turning it into /dʒɪz/ with a prolonged /ɪ/.
Yes. The -ages ending in damages behaves like a plural noun for the verb form, but in spelling it represents the /ɪz/ suffix after a voiceless or voiced consonant. Pronunciation remains /-ɪdʒɪz/ in most dialects, with the ending often reduced in rapid speech to /-dʒɪz/ or /-dʒɪz/. The key is keeping the final /z/ voice and not adding extra syllables.
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US: /ˈdæ.mɪ.dʒɪz/ with clear /æ/ and audible /dʒ/; UK: similar but tends to crisper vowel quality; AU: slightly broader vowel and more relaxed jaw, but final /z/ maintained. Vowel shifts are small, so focus on keeping the onset crisp and the /dʒ/ affricate strong. Use IPA as reference while listening for subtle vowel length differences to adjust in real time.
The word damages comes from Old French des damages, meaning ‘loss, injury, or hurt,’ and from Latin dampnare related to damage. In Middle English, the form damages expanded from the sense of injury or hurt to include a legal sense of monetary compensation. The suffix -es marks plural or non-count usage in many contexts; historically, the noun damage (singular) was used for harm, while damages (plural) came to describe compensation for harm. The legal sense of damages as compensation for injury or breach became established in English common law during the 14th–16th centuries and has persisted into modern jurisprudence. The term often pairs with phrases such as “damages awarded,” “damages claimed,” or “negligent damages,” reflecting both tangible destruction and intangible harm. The evolution mirrors a broader shift from raw injury to a recognized remedy in civil law, while the everyday sense of “damages” as wear and tear persists in descriptions of property damages and depreciation. The first known uses appear in Middle English legal documents and inherited French legal vocabulary after the Norman Conquest, with standardized plural forms appearing in the legal lexicon by the early modern period.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "damages" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "damages"
-ges sounds
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