One syllable: Plague.
playg
/pleɪɡ/
Plague is pronounced playg (/pleɪɡ/). It has one syllable (Plague), with the stress on "Plague". Plague (noun) refers to a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and causes high mortality, or figuratively, a thing causing widespread trouble or annoyance. It can describe historical epidemics as well as persistent problems. In everyday use, it often conveys a sense of severity and urgency, sometimes with metaphorical emphasis on its pervasiveness.
nounPlague (noun) refers to a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and causes high mortality, or figuratively, a thing causing widespread trouble or annoyance. It can describe historical epidemics as well as persistent problems. In everyday use, it often conveys a sense of severity and urgency, sometimes with metaphorical emphasis on its pervasiveness.
"The Black Death was one of history’s deadliest plagues."
"Residents throughout the town reported a plague of bedbugs in the old hotel."
"The software update was a plague of bugs that disrupted our workflow."
Plague is pronounced with a single syllable: /pleɪɡ/. Start with /p/ at the lips, then glide into /l/ with a relaxed tongue, dip into the long /eɪ/ vowel (as in “bait”), and finish with a voiced /ɡ/ as in “go.” The key is a smooth /pleɪ/ onset, then a firm /ɡ/. In careful speech you’ll hear a crisp coda /g/; in rapid speech it can soften but remains audible. IPA: /pleɪɡ/.
Two common mistakes: (1) Treating it as “plog” by mispronouncing the final consonant; ensure you voice the /ɡ/ clearly. (2) Slurring the /eɪ/ into a short vowel or misplacing the tongue for /pleɪ/—don’t reduce it to /pleɡ/ or /plæg/. Practice by isolating /pleɪ/ before attaching /ɡ/. Emphasize the long diphthong /eɪ/ and avoid a /æ/ or /ɒ/ substitution.
In US/UK/AU, the initial onset /pl/ and final /ɡ/ are consistent, but vowel quality on /eɪ/ can vary slightly. US tends to hold the /eɪ/ more centrally; UK and AU may be a brighter /eɪ/ with marginally crisper /ɡ/. Rhoticity doesn’t affect this word (the /r/ isn’t present). Stress remains on the single syllable. Overall, you’ll hear the same core /pleɪɡ/ with minor vowel shift and tempo differences.
Because it’s a closed, single-syllable word with a tense diphthong /eɪ/ that glides into a voiced /ɡ/. The transition from vowel to stop requires precise tongue posture to avoid an unintended /æ/ or /ɛ/; many speakers shorten or misplace the /ɡ/, or blend /pleɪ/ with a more common word like /pleɡ/ or /pleɹ/. Accurate mouth positioning and a crisp final /ɡ/ help keep it clear.
Plague has a straightforward stress pattern: single-stressed one-syllable word with primary emphasis on the whole syllable. There is no silent letter in standard pronunciation. The only subtlety is the /eɪ/ diphthong’s glide, which should be a single vowel sound with a consistent transition from /p/ to /l/ to /eɪ/. Avoid inserting extra sounds or creating a schwa. IPA remains /pleɡ/ with /eɪ/ as the nucleus.
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The word plague comes from Middle English plagen, via Old French plaga or plagues, from Latin plaga meaning ‘a blow, stroke, or wound’ and later ‘a calamity or scourge.’ The Latin plaga carried senses of injury and devastation, which mapped to the medieval sense of a widespread disease or pestilence. In Middle English, plague grew to denote epidemics such as the Black Death (14th century) and, by extension, any pervasive affliction. The sense expanded into figurative language: “a plague of locusts” or “a plague of problems” by the early modern period. The term also paralleled other European languages with similar roots referencing pestilence and calamity tied to divine or natural punishment. By the 16th–18th centuries, plague had cemented its medical meaning in medical and legal discourse, while in everyday speech it broadened to describe overwhelming nuisances. In modern use, it retains historical resonance (epidemic) and metaphorical breadth (persistent issues).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Plague" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Plague"
-me) sounds
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