STAY-juhz
/ˈsteɪdʒəz/
stages is pronounced STAY-juhz (/ˈsteɪdʒəz/). Stages is the plural noun or verb form of stage, referring to a particular point or period in a process, or to platforms or phases in performances. It denotes discrete steps or phases that contribute to a larger sequence, often used in contexts like development, project planning, or theatrical settings. The word carries a neutral to formal register depending on the surrounding language.
Stages is the plural noun or verb form of stage, referring to a particular point or period in a process, or to platforms or phases in performances. It denotes discrete steps or phases that contribute to a larger sequence, often used in contexts like development, project planning, or theatrical settings. The word carries a neutral to formal register depending on the surrounding language.
"The project will move through several stages before completion."
"The actors took to the stages with confidence."
"We outlined the stages of the experiment in the protocol."
/ˈsteɪdʒɪz/ in US/UK/AU. The primary stress is on the first syllable ‘stages.’ Make sure the vowel in the first syllable is the diphthong /eɪ/ as in ‘stay.’ The final cluster ends with /dʒɪz/, the /dʒ/ like 'judge' plus a light /ɪ/ then /z/. In careful speech, you pronounce both the /ɪ/ and the /z/ clearly; in fast speech, the /ɪ/ can be reduced slightly to a schwa, approaching /ˈsteɪdʒəz/.
Two common mistakes are: 1) pronouncing the first syllable as /stædʒ/ with a short /æ/ as in ‘stand,’ which sounds off; 2) mispronouncing the /dʒ/ as /z/ or /tʃ/ (like ‘stages’ as ‘stages’). The correct sequence is /ˈsteɪdʒɪz/ with a long /eɪ/ in the first syllable and a clear /dʒ/ before the final /ɪz/ or /əz/ in fast speech.
In US/UK/AU, the initial vowel remains the same /eɪ/. The rhoticity differences show subtle variance: non-rhotic accents may have less pronounced r-like coloring around vowel boundaries, but /ˈsteɪdʒɪz/ remains intact. The Australian pronunciation is similar to General American and Received Pronunciation in most contexts, with slight vowel raising or diphthong coloring; the /dʒ/ affricate and final /z/ are consistent. Stress remains on the first syllable in all three.
The difficulty lies in maintaining the /eɪ/ diphthong quality and the /dʒ/ affricate’s precise place of articulation before a voiced /z/. Many learners cluster sounds or misplace the tongue leading to a softer /dʒ/ or confusion with /tʃ/ or /z/. Also, the final /ɪz/ can be reduced to /əz/ in rapid speech, which may blur the syllable boundary if not timed carefully.
The word uniquely combines a durable initial consonant cluster /st/ followed by a voiced affricate /dʒ/ and terminates with a voiced fricative /z/. This sequence requires precise tongue-fronting: tip behind upper teeth for /t/ and /d͡ʒ/ while maintaining a continuous voice signal into /z/. Focus on keeping the /d͡ʒ/ clear before the final /z/ to avoid a muddled ending.
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Stages comes from Old French estage, estamp, or estat, which derived from Late Latin statium, eventually linked to the Proto-Germanic *stadiz meaning place or standing, and the Greek ket-hos. The core sense over time shifted from a physical platform or stage to a figurative platform or phase. In Middle English, ‘stage’ referred to a platform or raised place for performance, and by the 15th century, it also carried the sense of a step or phase in a progression. The plural stages emerged to discuss multiple phases in a sequence or set, particularly in scientific, theatrical, and project-management contexts. The word has retained the core meaning of a platform or phase while expanding to metaphorical uses in planning, development, and stages of change. First known uses appear in drama and architectural contexts, then later in scientific, organizational, and developmental discourse.
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Words that rhyme with "stages"
-ges sounds
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