3 syllables: ma, ga, zine. Stress on ma.
MAG-uh-zeen
/ˈmæɡəˌzin/
magazine is pronounced MAG-uh-zeen (/ˈmæɡəˌzin/). It has three syllables (ma-ga-zine), with the stress on "ma". Magazine is a noun meaning a periodical publication containing articles, stories, and illustrations, or a storage container for bullets in firearms. It can also function as a verb meaning to store items in a magazine, though this use is less common. In everyday use, it most often refers to a publication, with emphasis on the second syllable. The word is a frequent subject of pronunciation guidance due to its non-intuitive vowel sequence.
Magazine is a noun meaning a periodical publication containing articles, stories, and illustrations, or a storage container for bullets in firearms. It can also function as a verb meaning to store items in a magazine, though this use is less common. In everyday use, it most often refers to a publication, with emphasis on the second syllable. The word is a frequent subject of pronunciation guidance due to its non-intuitive vowel sequence.
"I read an interesting article in a fashion magazine."
"The photographer kept extra film in the camera’s magazine."
"She subscribed to a science magazine for monthly updates."
Pronunciation: /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/. Break it into three syllables: mag-a-zine with stress on the final syllable. Start with /mæ/ (like ‘mat’ without t), glide to /ɡə/ (a quick schwa with a light g), then /ziːn/ (long e as in ‘seen’). The emphasis lands on the last syllable, so you’ll hear a slightly longer vowel there. Try saying: mag-uh-ZEEN. IPA: US /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/; UK /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/; AU /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/.
Two common errors: 1) Stressing the first syllable: MAG-uh-zeen. Correct by stressing the last syllable: mag-uh-ZEEN. 2) Slurring the middle /ə/ into a quick /ɪ/ or /eɪ/: keep the middle as a neutral schwa /ə/ and glide into the /ziːn/ with a crisp /z/.
In all three, final syllable carries the primary stress: mag-uh-ZEEN. US tends to be rhotic in connected speech, but /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/ is similar to UK. Australian often has a slightly wider vowel in /iː/ and a lighter /ɡ/ release; some speakers reduce the /ə/ to a near-schwa that’s barely audible before the /z/. Overall, vowel length of /iː/ remains long; consonant cluster /gz/ stays clear. IPA references: US /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/, UK /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/, AU /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/.
Challenge lies in three spots: 1) Final stress location on /ˈziːn/ can feel unnatural if you’re used to 2-syllable words with stress earlier. 2) The middle /ə/ is a weak schwa that’s easy to swallow; keep it distinct but short. 3) The /gz/ cluster in the middle can blur; aim for a clear /gz/ release leading into the long /iːn/. Practicing with minimal pairs helps you isolate these.
Q: Is the final -zine spelled with z-i-n-e or z-i-n? You pronounce it /-ziːn/; the spelling ends with -zine, but in pronunciation the final sound is the long /iːn/. The critical feature is the long /iː/ vowel and ending nasal /n/. This aligns with other -zine words like ‘caffeine’ (no) and not with -zine words that would end in a different sound. IPA note: /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/.
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US: rhoticity is common; keep /ɡ/ firm but not aspirated; /ˈziːn/ remains long. UK: slightly more clipped middle /ə/, but maintain final /ˈziːn/ with clear fronted /iː/; AU: may have slightly broader vowel quality in /æ/ vs /æ/; keep lip rounding neutral. Across all, the key vowel in the last syllable is a long /iː/. IPA reminders: /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/.
Magazine comes from the Old French magagine, borrowed from Italian magazzino, meaning warehouse or storehouse, itself from Arabic makhzan “storehouse.” The sense expanded in English in the 16th century to refer to a store of bullets carried in a firearm, likely influenced by the sense of a storehouse or repository. In the 17th–18th centuries, the term also referred to a storehouse of information or printed matter, which set the stage for its modern primary meaning as a periodical publication. The word’s spelling stabilized in Middle English as magazyne/magazine, aligning with French influence during the Renaissance when printed materials and books were increasingly produced and distributed. The everyday sense of “a magazine” as a publication grew with the rise of periodic literature, and by the 19th century, magazines as a mass medium were well established. The term for firearm ammunition storage retained its own sense, but both uses share the core idea of a stored quantity kept ready for use. First known English usage is attested in the 1580s with references to stores of goods; the sense related to periodicals emerged in the 18th century. The word thus traversed from a general storehouse to a specialized repository, and finally to the media product we know today.
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Words that rhyme with "magazine"
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