2 syllables: dis, guised. Stress on guised.
dis-GEYEZD
/dɪˈsɡaɪzd/
disguised is pronounced dis-GEYEZD (/dɪˈsɡaɪzd/). It has two syllables (dis-guised), with the stress on "guised". Disguised means concealed or made to appear different from what is true, typically to hide identity or truth. The word implies intentional alteration of appearance or presentation, often in a deceptive or protective sense. It functions as an adjective or verb form (to disguise), describing something that has been camouflaged or misrepresented in order to mislead. In context, it can refer to clothing, behavior, or motives that mask the real nature of something or someone.
Disguised means concealed or made to appear different from what is true, typically to hide identity or truth. The word implies intentional alteration of appearance or presentation, often in a deceptive or protective sense. It functions as an adjective or verb form (to disguise), describing something that has been camouflaged or misrepresented in order to mislead. In context, it can refer to clothing, behavior, or motives that mask the real nature of something or someone.
"The spy was disguised as a tourist to avoid suspicion."
"She disguised her nervousness with a calm, practiced smile."
"The box disguised the fragile contents inside."
Pronounced /dɪsˈɡaɪzd/. Start with /dɪs/ (short i as in did), then stress the second syllable /ˈɡaɪz/ where the vowel is the diphthong /aɪ/ as in high, followed by the voiced /d/. Pay attention to the final /d/; avoid letting it become a soft /t/ in fast speech. Mouth: lips relaxed, jaw drops slightly for /aɪ/; the /ɡ/ is a hard, brief stop before the /aɪ/. IPA helps: d ɪ s | ɡ a ɪ z d. You can reference native audio via Pronounce or Forvo for subtle voicing cues.
Two frequent errors are: 1) misplacing the stress, saying dis-GUISED with incorrect emphasis, and 2) softening the /d/ at the end to /t/ or /d/ sound blends. Correction: keep the primary stress on the second syllable: /dɪsˈɡaɪzd/. Ensure the final cluster is voiced: /z d/ without turning into /z t/ or /s d/. Practice by isolating the /ˈɡaɪzd/ portion and linking the /d/ to the preceding /z/ smoothly.
In US/UK/AU, the core /dɪsˈɡaɪzd/ remains, but rhotics and vowel length differ. US and AU typically honor rhoticity less prominently in coda clusters, keeping the /ɪ/ vs /iː/ distinction subtle; UK non-rhotic tendencies may slightly alter the quality of /ɪ/ before /ˈɡaɪz/. The /aɪ/ diphthong remains steady across all; the final /z/ is voiced in all, with a crisper or more lenient release depending on pace. Australians often have a tighter vowel space around /ɪ/ and a slightly broader /aɪ/.
The difficulty rests on the consonant cluster /sɡ/ after /d/, and especially the transition into the /ˈɡaɪz/ diphthong. The /s/ blends into the /ɡ/ stop without a vowel, so learners often insert an extra vowel or mispronounce the /ɡ/ as a soft /ɣ/ or /ɡ/ with weaker voicing. The /ˈaɪ/ diphthong requires a smooth glide from /a/ to /ɪ/. Practicing the sequence d - i - s - g - aɪ - z - d with light, connected speech helps.
No silent letters. All letters participate in the pronunciation: d-i-s-g-u-i-s-e-d; the key perceptual moment is the stressed /ˈɡaɪz/ where the /s/ is voiced to /z/ as part of the /z/ sound before the final /d/. Keep the /s/ voiced through to the /z/ and then the /d/ at the end. This makes the spelling-to-sound map consistent once you master the /ˈɡaɪzd/ cluster.
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Disguised comes from the prefix dis- meaning ‘apart, away, or the reversal of,’ combined with guise, which originates from Old French guise meaning ‘manner, appearance, or disguise,’ and from Latin velut, ‘in the manner of.’ The modern English guise itself traces to Middle English and Old French guise, with etymological cousins in Gothic and Germanic languages indicating appearance or form. The verb form disguise, from Old French disguiser, originally meant to dress or clothe, and by the 17th century evolved to mean to misrepresent or conceal, while the past participle disguised formalized as disguised. The -ed suffix marks past tense/adjectival form. First known uses appear in Middle English texts, but the concept of altering appearance for deception spans ancient rhetoric and legal contexts, where disguises served as strategic facades in theater, espionage, and social theater. Over centuries, the sense broadened to cover figurative concealment—emotions, motives, or truths—beyond mere physical clothing. Modern usage often pairs disguise with deliberate deception, and within narrative and everyday speech, it conveys both practical concealment and metaphorical masking of identity or intent.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "disguised" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "disguised"
-sed sounds
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