3 syllables: do, sa, ges. Stress on do.
DOH-sij-iz
/ˈdoʊsɪdʒɪz/
dosages is pronounced DOH-sij-iz (/ˈdoʊsɪdʒɪz/). It has three syllables (do-sa-ges), with the stress on "do". Dosages refers to the amounts of a medication or toxin to be administered at one time or over a specified period. In medical and pharmacological contexts, it denotes prescribed quantities, often varying by patient factors, route, and duration. The term is plural, indicating multiple or varied quantities used across regimes or studies.
Dosages refers to the amounts of a medication or toxin to be administered at one time or over a specified period. In medical and pharmacological contexts, it denotes prescribed quantities, often varying by patient factors, route, and duration. The term is plural, indicating multiple or varied quantities used across regimes or studies.
"The doctor adjusted the dosages based on the patient’s weight and kidney function."
"Clinical trials compare different dosages to determine the most effective level with minimal side effects."
"Review the dosages recorded in the patient chart before dispensing the medication."
Pronounce as do-SAJ-ɪz (US) or də-ˈsɔ-dʒɪz (UK). The primary stress sits on the second syllable, with a soft 'g' like the j in judge, and the final 'es' ending sounds as -ɪz. IPA: US d oʊˈsiː.dʒɪz, UK dəˈsɔː.dʒɪz. For careful enunciation, lift the vowel in the second syllable a touch and finalize with a light z-ess sound. You’ll hear the second syllable clearly emphasized in clinical speech.
Most speakers misplace the stress, saying do-SAGE-siz or DO-suh-jiz. Also, the dʒ sound at the end can blur to a soft d or t; keep it as a voiced postalveolar affricate. Correct by emphasizing the second syllable with a clear dʒ, and ensure the final -ɪz is a voiced z, not an s. Practice with minimal pairs like ‘does’ vs ‘dose’ to keep the tense ending accurate.
In US and UK, the second syllable carries primary stress, but vowels shift: US often has a longer oʊ and a clearer ˈsiː in some speakers, UK may reduce the second vowel slightly. Australian tends to flatter vowels, with less diphthongization on the first vowel and a slightly tighter final -ɪz. Overall, the rhoticity and vowel quality influence the overall color, but the stress pattern remains on the second syllable across accents.
Two main challenges: the -sɪz ending can merge with preceding vowel sounds, and the 's' in the middle can soften into an s or a z depending on context. The 'd' plus 'o' can also produce a subtle glide: doʊ- or də-. Pay attention to the voiced postalveolar affricate ʤ in the middle syllable and keep the final z clearly voiced. Slow, deliberate pronunciation helps maintain the MI-structure.
The second syllable hosts a secondary vowel shift: oʊ in US, ɒ or ɔː in UK, depending on speaker. The 'sages' portion should not be confused with ‘dosers’ or ‘dosages’ singular plural conflations. Practice by isolating the middle sound as /ˈsiː/ vs /ˈsɔː/ and keep the final -ɪz steady in all contexts to avoid mispronouncing it as -z or -s.
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Dosage derives from dose, from Old French dose (12th–13th centuries) and Latin dosis, from Greek didōmi ‘to give, grant’. The plural dosages emerged in medical usage to denote multiple doses administered or prescribed; the term coalesced through pharmacology writing in the 19th–20th centuries as standardized measurement units for medicines. Dosis in Spanish or dosis in other languages reflect the same root. Over time, the term widened from “a single amount to give” to “the amounts given in multiple administrations or studies,” maintaining a core sense of quantity prescribed for therapeutic or toxic exposure. The sense of sequential or repeated administration reinforced its plural form in professional contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "dosages"
-ses sounds
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