2 syllables: Del, uge. Stress on Del.
DEL-yooj
/ˈdɛljudʒ/
Deluge is pronounced DEL-yooj (/ˈdɛljudʒ/). It has two syllables (Del-uge), with the stress on "Del". Deluge (noun): a severe flood or an overwhelming rush of something. It can refer to an actual inundation of water or a figurative abundance, such as a deluge of emails. The term implies magnitude and force, often arising suddenly and beyond ordinary experience.
nounDeluge (noun): a severe flood or an overwhelming rush of something. It can refer to an actual inundation of water or a figurative abundance, such as a deluge of emails. The term implies magnitude and force, often arising suddenly and beyond ordinary experience.
- Misplacing or softening the /l/ and blending incorrectly into the /j/; practice by segmenting into D-EL and then UGE parts. - Ending with an ambiguous /dʒ/ or dropping the final consonant; ensure a full release. - Compressing the first and second syllables too evenly; keep the primary stress on the first syllable and maintain a clear secondary syllable pace. - Common error: turning the /juː/ into a simple /uː/; maintain the /j/ glide before the /uː/.
How to Pronounce Deluge
"A catastrophic deluge flooded the valley within hours."
"The museum faced a deluge of donations after the exhibition opened."
"They received a deluge of emails following the announcement."
Deluge is pronounced DEL-yo͞odzh, with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US /ˈdɛ.ljuːdʒ/, UK /ˈdel.juːdʒ/, AU /ˈdel.juːdʒ/. Start with a clear “d” followed by a short eh as in "bet," then the L blends into a smooth /l/; the second syllable begins with /juː/ (the 'u' as in 'you'), and ends with /dʒ/ as in
Common errors: (1) Misplacing the /l/ or making the first syllable sound more like 'dih-LOO-ʒ' instead of 'DEL-yoo-dʒ'. (2) Losing the /dʒ/ at the end, producing /ˈdɛljuː/ or /ˈdɛljuː/ rather than /ˈdɛ.ljuːdʒ/. (3) Overemphasizing the second syllable; keep the primary stress on the first syllable. Correction tips: practice the sequence D-E-L with a crisp /d/ followed by a light /ɛ/; glide into /ljuː/ quickly, and finish with /dʒ/ without adding extra vowel after. Use minimal pairs like “deluge” vs “deluage” to feel correct ending.
US: /ˈdɛ.ljuːdʒ/ with a rhotic r-like vowel absence in the first syllable; UK: /ˈdel.juːdʒ/ with a shorter /e/ and a crisper /l/; AU: commonly /ˈdel.juːdʒ/ like UK but with broader vowel quality and sometimes a slightly more centralized /ɪ/ in the first syllable depending on speaker. Across regions, the diphthong in the second syllable remains /juː/ and the final /dʒ/ persists; however, vowel quality in the first syllable may shift slightly toward /e/ or /ɛ/ depending on local vowel inventories.
Deluge packs three phonemes in close succession: /d/ + /ɛ/ (or /e/), then /ljuː/ (a consonant cluster before a long vowel), and finally /dʒ/. The /lj/ sequence is tricky for speakers not used to a clear /l/ blending into a /j/ glide, and the final /dʒ/ requires precise voicing to avoid a fricative drift. Additionally, stress on the first syllable can tempt speakers to reduce the second syllable. Practice the transition from /ɛ/ to /lj/ and ensure the /dʒ/ is released clearly.
A key feature is the light-but-precise /l/ followed by a smooth /j/ onset in the second syllable, which can easily be mispronounced as /dɪˈljuːdʒ/ with an extra vowel or as /ˈdɛl.uːdʒ/ losing the /j/ aspect. Focus on preserving the /lj/ liaison, keeping the first syllable crisp, and then a quick, clear /dʒ/ at the end. This ensures the word sounds natural and distinct in fluent speech.
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- US: maintain a tighter, rhotic vocalic environment, ensure /d/ is firm and the /lj/ is clearly articulated before the /uː/; - UK: crisper /l/ and a slightly longer /e/ quality before the /lj/; - AU: similar to UK but with broader vowel values and more flowing /juː/; IPA references: US /ˈdɛ.ljuːdʒ/, UK /ˈdel.juːdʒ/, AU /ˈdel.juːdʒ/; - All accents keep final /dʒ/; avoid swallowing the final consonant.
Deluge comes from the Middle English deluge, borrowed from the Old French deluge, which itself derives from Latin diluvium, from diluere ‘to wash away’ (dili- ‘down’ + lavare ‘to wash’). The root diluvium lies in the combination of ’di-’ (apart, thoroughly) and ‘luere’ (to wash). The concept originally carried a physical sense of washing away or flooding, often tied to biblical inundations. Over time, the word broadened to describe any overwhelming quantity, not just water, such as a deluge of correspondence or data. By the early modern period, deluge commonly referred to floods but retained metaphorical uses in journalism and literature, signaling abundance, overwhelm, and mass influx. First known English usages surface in medieval texts, aligning with Latin ecclesiastical and natural disaster vocabularies, and gradually shifting toward a neutral to dramatic sense in modern English. In contemporary usage, deluge emphasizes both the scale of the flood and the intensity of the influx, making it a highly charged, formal term in many contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "Deluge"
-ge? sounds
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