2 syllables: Ma, laise. Stress on laise.
mal-AYZ
/mæˈleɪz/
Malaise is pronounced mal-AYZ (/mæˈleɪz/). It has two syllables (Ma-laise), with the stress on "laise". Malaise is a general feeling of discomfort, unease, or illness whose exact cause is not clear. In medical and everyday contexts, it describes a vague, low-grade malaise that can accompany various conditions, signaling that something is off without pointing to a specific ailment. It often accompanies fatigue, weakness, or mild fever and is used to capture a non-specific sense of unwellness.
nounMalaise is a general feeling of discomfort, unease, or illness whose exact cause is not clear. In medical and everyday contexts, it describes a vague, low-grade malaise that can accompany various conditions, signaling that something is off without pointing to a specific ailment. It often accompanies fatigue, weakness, or mild fever and is used to capture a non-specific sense of unwellness.
"The patient reported a sense of malaise that persisted for several days."
"There was a pervasive malaise in the office after the budget cuts were announced."
"She felt a sudden malaise and decided to rest at home."
Pronounced muh-LAYZ (IPA US/UK: /məˈleɪz/). The main stress is on the second syllable, with a diphthong /eɪ/ in the second syllable and a final voiced /z/. Start with a relaxed schwa in the first syllable, then raise to /eɪ/ and finish with /z/. Visualize lips slightly rounded for /eɪ/ and keep teeth near the bottom lip for the /z/.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress on the first syllable (mah-LAYZ). 2) Treating as two separate words or mispronouncing the second syllable as /siz/ instead of /zeɪz/. 3) Not voicing the final /z/ or letting it be a /s/; ensure a voiced fricative at the end. Corrections: rehearse as /məˈleɪz/ with a clear /eɪ/ and a final /z/, and practice blending the first syllable’s schwa into the diphthong confidently.
In US/UK/AU, the core stands as /məˈleɪz/. Differences: US tends to have a more pronounced rhoticity in surrounding vowels; the /ə/ in the first syllable may be a lighter schwa. UK RP may exhibit crisper vowel onset with /ˈleɪz/? actually /məˈleɪz/. AU typically similar to US but with subtle vowel sharpening; there may be a slightly less released final /z/. Overall, the main diphthong /eɪ/ remains stable across accents.
Key challenges: the second syllable carries a strong /eɪ/ diphthong requiring precise gliding from /e/ to /ɪ/ plus a voiced /z/ at the end; many speakers mispronounce as /məˈlʌz/ or /məˈleɪz/ with reduced first syllable. The initial schwa can be weak, but you should keep it stable enough to support the diphthong. Focus on a clean /mə/ and a clear /ˈleɪz/ with proper lip rounding for /eɪ/.
A useful, word-specific note is that the second syllable contains a strong /eɪ/ as in ‘lay,’ not a short /e/ or /i/; avoid inserting a consonant between /l/ and /eɪ/. The word does not have a silent letter; the final /eɪz/ consists of /eɪ/ plus voiced /z/. Remember the initial /mə/ is quick and unstressed relative to the second syllable.
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US: /məˈleɪz/, rhotic speaker can insert a subtle r-coloring in surrounding vowels but not in malaise itself; /eɪ/ is a prominent diphthong. UK: /məˈleɪz/, tends to crisper articulation; AU: /məˈleɪz/, often with slightly closer vowel qualities and less vowel reduction in connected speech. Vowel length and clarity of /eɪ/ are important in all accents; keep lips rounded for /eɪ/ without over-tensioning. IPA references: /məˈleɪz/.
Malaise comes from the French malaise, literally ‘bad ease,’ from Old French mal ‘bad’ + -aise (a noun-forming suffix). The term entered English through medical and literary usage in the 18th century to describe a vague, non-specific sense of ill health. Its earliest senses referred to a general feeling of distress or inconvenience rather than a particular disease. Over time, malaise broadened into common medical and lay terms for a subtle constellation of symptoms—fatigue, body aches, malaise—often preceding more defined illnesses. The word’s French roots reinforce its sense of unease and discomfort, and its usage has remained stable in both clinical and everyday language, especially when clinicians need to convey non-specific systemic malaise rather than precise pathology.
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Words that rhyme with "Malaise"
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