3 syllables: Sac, ri, lege. Stress on Sac.
SAK-ruh-luhj
/ˈsækɹələdʒ/
Sacrilege is pronounced SAK-ruh-luhj (/ˈsækɹələdʒ/). It has three syllables (Sac-ri-lege), with the stress on "Sac". Sacrilege (noun) refers to an action or treatment of something considered holy or sacred that shows disrespect or irreverence. It denotes a violation of what is regarded as sacred, often provoking moral or religious offense. The term implies a breach of reverence rather than a simple mistake, and is used in formal, literary, and sometimes critical contexts.
nounSacrilege (noun) refers to an action or treatment of something considered holy or sacred that shows disrespect or irreverence. It denotes a violation of what is regarded as sacred, often provoking moral or religious offense. The term implies a breach of reverence rather than a simple mistake, and is used in formal, literary, and sometimes critical contexts.
How to Pronounce Sacrilege
"The prank was seen as sacrilege by the temple's community leaders."
"To pirate the painting would be an act of sacrilege in the eyes of the curators."
"He called the desecration of the monument a sacrilege that shocked the nation."
Sacrilege is pronounced /ˈsæk.rə.lɪdʒ/ in US/UK/AU. Begin with a stressed 'SAC' sounding like 'sack' without the k in emphasis, followed by a reduced 'rə' (schwa) and a final 'lidge' (/lɪdʒ/). The main challenge is the middle syllable’s unstressed schwa and the final 'lidge' cluster. Tip: say SAC-ruh-lij, keeping lips relaxed and the tongue lightly touching the alveolar ridge for /dʒ/. Audio reference: consult Cambridge or Forvo pron of sacrilege for native speaker variants.
Common errors: (1) overemphasizing the middle syllable so the word sounds SAC-RAH-li-dge rather than SAC-ruh-li-dge; (2) mispronouncing the final -lge as a hard 'g' or 'l' cluster, producing 'sac-ruh-lidge' instead of the correct /lɪdʒ/; (3) not reducing the middle vowel to a schwa. Corrections: keep the middle syllable as a weak, unstressed /rə/; finish with /lɪdʒ/ using a light J sound; practice with minimal pairs like 'sacrilege - sacrifage' focusing on the correct affricate.
In all three accents, the initial /ˈsæk/ is stressed. US tends to flatter the rhotic vowel in the second syllable, but /rə/ remains. UK and US share /ˈsæk.rə.lɪdʒ/; AU often has slightly clearer vowel qualities and less rhoticity shift. The final /lɪdʒ/ remains voiced and similar, but Australians may produce a slightly tighter /ɪ/ and a more rounded /ə/ in the /rə/ depending on speaker. Overall, the tri-syllabic rhythm remains stable, with minor vowel quality variations.
The difficulty lies in the two unstressed vowels in the middle syllable and the final consonant cluster /dʒ/. You must reduce the middle vowel to a quick schwa /rə/ while keeping the final /lɪdʒ/ intact and not turning it into /dʒ/ alone. The initial stress on /ˈsæk/ can push the following vowels into weaker realizations if you’re not careful. Practicing with minimal pairs that highlight the /r/ and /l/ timing helps, as does recording yourself to hear awkward vowel length or consonant merging.
Yes. The sequence ends with the /l/ sound immediately before the /dʒ/ (as in /-lɪdʒ/). So you should produce the blend similar to 'lid' followed by the 'zh' sound in 'judge' but as one syllable: -lɪdʒ. Don’t drop the /l/ or merge it into the /d/; keep a light contact of the tongue tip with the alveolar ridge for the /l/ and then release into the /dʒ/.
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Sacrilege comes from Middle English sacrilège, derived from Old French sacrilège, from Latin sacre ‘sacred’ (from sacer ‘sacred’) + legere ‘to collect or gather’ in the sense of a ritual or ceremonial act; later it came to mean desecration or violation of what is sacred. The root sacer is shared with sacrament, sacred, and sanctuary. The sense of violating sacred things dates to late Latin and medieval religious discourse, where acts harming holy objects or places were labeled sacrilege. By the 14th–15th centuries, English usage had broadened to include irreverent or profane acts against sacred persons or items, extending metaphorically to morally or culturally sacred ideas. In modern usage, sacrilege is often applied to acts or statements perceived as profoundly disrespectful toward religion, ritual, or cultural symbols, without necessarily implying criminal intent. This word sits at the intersection of religion, law, and cultural norms, carrying strong evaluative connotations in many contexts.
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Words that rhyme with "Sacrilege"
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