3 syllables: ga, ra, ges. Stress on ra.
gur-AH-zhiz
/ɡɚˈɑʒɪz/
garages is pronounced gur-AH-zhiz (/ɡɚˈɑʒɪz/). It has three syllables (ga-ra-ges), with the stress on "ra". Garages refers to buildings or structures that house vehicles, typically attached or adjacent to homes or businesses. The plural form indicates more than one such space. In everyday use, it often denotes a sheltered area for parking, storage, or workshop activities, and can imply a specific facility depending on context.
Garages refers to buildings or structures that house vehicles, typically attached or adjacent to homes or businesses. The plural form indicates more than one such space. In everyday use, it often denotes a sheltered area for parking, storage, or workshop activities, and can imply a specific facility depending on context.
- You may misplace primary stress, saying gar-AGES instead of GAR-ages. Practice by clapping or tapping on the first syllable to feel the beat. - Some people insert an extra vowel between /ɡ/ and /ɪdʒ/, producing /ˈɡærɪ-ɪdʒɪz/; keep /ɡær/ together and move quickly into /ɪdʒɪz/. - The /dʒ/ can be pronounced as a simple /j/ or a /tʃ/; ensure you're using the affricate /dʒ/ with a brief stop then fricative release.
"We park our cars in the garages behind the house."
"The mechanic works in a tidy set of garages along the alley."
"Her studio doubles as a small workshop within two connected garages."
Phonetic answer: /ˈɡærɪdʒɪz/. The primary stress is on the first syllable GAR-, followed by a schwa-like reduction in the second syllable and an audible -dʒ- as in 'gem' with a z sound at the end. Mouth position: start with a low front open vowel for /æ/, then glide to /ɪ/ in the second syllable, and finish with /dʒɪz/ where the /dʒ/ is a voiced palato-alveolar affricate.
Two common errors: 1) Placing emphasis on the second syllable (gar-AGES) instead of GAR-ages; 2) Pronouncing /dʒ/ as a separate /tʃ/ or misplacing the /ɪ/ vowel in the second syllable. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈɡær-/, and produce /ɪ/ in the second syllable quickly before /dʒɪz/, ensuring the /dʒ/ remains a single palato-alveolar affricate rather than a two-part sound.
US: /ˈɡærɪdʒɪz/, rhotic with a clear /ɹ/ preceding the vowel; UK: /ˈɡærɪdʒɪz/, non-rhotic in some regions but often similar; AU: /ˈɡæɹɪdʒɪz/ with Australian Vowel Shift, sometimes a slightly broader /æ/ and more lenient /ɹ/ realization. The central vowel in the second syllable is reduced toward /ɪ/ in many speakers; final /z/ is voiced. Expect subtle vowel quality differences between US/UK and Australia.
Challenge centers on the two-phoneme cluster -rɪdʒ- followed by -ɪz, and maintaining the primary stress on the first syllable while the second syllable reduces quickly. The /ɡ/ to /ɡa/ transition, and the /dʒ/ being an affricate, require precise tongue placement. Beginners often mispronounce as /ˈɡær̬ɪdˌdʒiz/ or lengthen the second syllable. Practice by isolating /ɡær/ then attaching /ɪdʒɪz/ with a quick, clean /dʒ/.
The key unique feature is the cluster /ɡɪdʒ/ transitioning from /ɡ/ to /ɪ/ to /dʒ/. Some speakers insert a light schwa before the /ɪ/ in rapid speech (gar-uh-jiz). For SEO, emphasize the primary stress on GAR- and the softening of the second syllable into /ɪdʒɪz/ rather than prolonged /ɪ/.
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US: rhotic /ɹ/ with clearer /ɪ/; UK: non-rhotic or variable rhoticity; AU: vowel shifts with broader /æ/. Focus on keeping /ɡ/ stable, reducing the second syllable quickly, and maintaining /dʒ/ as a single affricate. Use IPA to monitor vowel quality; slap the /æ/ in GAR and keep the /ɪ/ short. In all regions, the final /z/ should be voiced, not devoiced.
The word garages comes from French garage, which in turn derives from the Italian garage, ultimately tracing to the Late Latin garagium meaning ‘a shelter or sheltering place for goods,’ from the Greek garáion meaning ‘shed, warehouse’ (though the exact lineage is debated). The term
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "garages" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "garages"
-ges sounds
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