3 syllables: Mo, ja, ve. Stress on ja.
moh-HAH-vee
/moʊˈhɑvi/
Mojave is pronounced moh-HAH-vee (/moʊˈhɑvi/). It has three syllables (Mo-ja-ve), with the stress on "ja". Mojave is a noun referring to a Native American people of the southwestern United States or their language, and it also designates the Mojave Desert region. It is used in geographic, cultural, and historical contexts, often capitalized. The term is commonly heard in discussions of regional history, ecology, and geography, as well as in names of places and organizations associated with the desert.
nounMojave is a noun referring to a Native American people of the southwestern United States or their language, and it also designates the Mojave Desert region. It is used in geographic, cultural, and historical contexts, often capitalized. The term is commonly heard in discussions of regional history, ecology, and geography, as well as in names of places and organizations associated with the desert.
How to Pronounce Mojave
"The Mojave people inhabited the arid basins of the southern California deserts for centuries."
"We drove through the Mojave Desert on our cross-state trip."
"The Mojave language belongs to the Southern Paiute branch of the Uto-Aztecan family."
Pronounce as /moʊˈhævi/ in US English, with the primary stress on the second syllable: mo-HAH-vee. The first syllable rhymes with 'go' (long o), and the middle 'ha' uses a short /æ/ as in 'hat'. The final vowel is /i/ like 'see'. In many contexts you’ll hear a subtle reduction of the first syllable to /mə-/ in rapid speech, but the stressed second syllable remains clear: /moʊˈhævi/.
Common errors include treating the second syllable as 'ho-vey' with /oʊ/ instead of /hæ/ and misplacing the primary stress on the first syllable. Some speakers also soften the middle vowel to /ɒ/ or merge the two vowels, producing /ˈmoʊ.dʒeɪ/ or /moʊˈdʒeɪ/ by analogy with other place names. Correction: emphasize /hæ/ in the second syllable, keep the first syllable as /moʊ/ and place primary stress on the second: /moʊˈhævi/.
In US English, you’ll typically hear /moʊˈhævi/ with a clear /æ/ in the second syllable and rhoticity affecting the first syllable vowel. UK and Australian pronunciations often align to /məˈhɑːvi/ or /moʊˈhævi/ depending on regional vowel systems; Australians may shift to a broader /ɒ/ or /ɑː/ in the second syllable. The main differences involve vowel quality (æ vs ɑː/ɑ) and the degree of rhoticity in the first syllable, while the second syllable remains stressed in all variants.
The difficulty stems from the two central vowels and the shift from /oʊ/ to /hæ/ in the stressed second syllable, which can be unfamiliar to speakers whose first language lacks a similar sequence. The diphthong in the first syllable (/oʊ/) and the short vowel /æ/ in the second syllable require careful tongue positioning and jaw openness. Additionally, distinguishing /hæ/ from /hɑ/ and maintaining stress on the second syllable can challenge accuracy in fast speech.
A unique consideration is the stress pattern: the word carries a strong stress on the second syllable (mo-HA-vi) despite starting with a prominent first syllable. This contrasts with some two-syllable place names where the first syllable bears primary stress. The combination of a high-front lax vowel in the second syllable and a late, high-velocity /i/ can also differ subtly between American, British, and Australian accents, requiring a careful, dynamic mouth posture to keep the stress strong.
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Mojave derives from the name of the Mojave people, a Native American group traditionally located in the Mojave Desert of present-day California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. The ethnonym Mojave is recorded in early Spanish colonial sources as 'Mohave' or 'Mohaveo,' with variations reflecting phonetic transliteration of indigenous terms. The term entered English usage through colonial and settler interactions, with later standardization to Mojave in modern times. The word is tied to the Desert’s geography (Mojave Desert), the people’s language and culture, and the broader Uto-Aztecan language family if explored in linguistic contexts. Over time, the word has assumed both ethnographic and geographic senses, often seen in proper nouns (cities, national parks, organizations) named after the region or its native inhabitants. First known printed usages appear in 19th-century American texts documenting exploration and settlement in the southwestern United States, consolidating the name in common geographic and cultural references.
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Words that rhyme with "Mojave"
-ave sounds
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