parsonage

Pronounce as par-SON-age with the primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈpɑːr.sənɪdʒ/ (US/UK). In US you might hear a slightly longer vowel in the first syllable and a clear ‘s’ + ‘n’ cluster in the second syllable; the middle syllable is often a reduced schwa. Mouth: start with a open back vowel, then a clear ‘s’ following, with the ‘er’ sound simplified to a schwa; end with /dʒ/ like “judge.” Audio reference: listen to /ˈpɑːrsənɪdʒ/ in dictionaries and pronunciation channels.

Common errors include: misplacing the stress (say ‘parSON-age’ instead of ‘PAR-son-age’), and pronouncing the middle syllable as a full vowel /o/ as in ‘more’ rather than a reduced /ə/ (pɑːr-sən-ɪdʒ). Another frequent mistake is turning the final /dʒ/ into a /tʃ/ or /ɡ/? sound; aim for a single /dʒ/ as in ‘judge’. Correction cues: use a light, neutral middle vowel /ən/ and keep the final /dʒ/ crisp.

US tends to preserve /ˈpɑɚsənɪdʒ/ with rhoticity; UK often renders /ˈpɑːsənɪdʒ/ with a longer first vowel and less rhotics in non-rhotic varieties; Australian usually aligns with non-rhotic UK-like pronunciation, but vowels can be shorter and the /r/ is often not pronounced unless followed by a vowel. In all, the middle syllable remains /ən/; the final /dʒ/ remains.

The difficulty lies in the unstressed middle syllable and the /s/ + /n/ cluster, which can cause a blending that sounds like /ˈpɑːrsənɪdʒ/ or /ˈpɑːrˌsɒnɪdʒ/ depending on dialect. The final /dʒ/ requires a precise, brief stop without an extra syllable, which can be tricky in rapid speech. Focus on a clean /s/ followed by a short /ən/ and a crisp /dʒ/ to avoid slurring.

The key is the unstressed, schwa-like middle syllable /ən/. In careful pronunciation you should hear three distinct syllables with a light, quick final /dʒ/. The first syllable carries primary stress; maintaining clear separation between /pɑːr/ and /sən/ helps avoid conflating the middle and final sounds. Listening to native speakers in church-history readings can reveal common real-world forms.