4 syllables: Sta, tion, er, y. Stress on Sta.
STAY-shuh-ner-ee
/ˈsteɪʃəˌnɛɹi/
Stationery is pronounced STAY-shuh-ner-ee (/ˈsteɪʃəˌnɛɹi/). It has four syllables (Sta-tion-er-y), with the stress on "Sta". Stationery refers to materials for writing and office use, such as paper, pens, and envelopes. It contrasts with budget items and finished goods, focusing on consumables and supplies rather than equipment. In common usage, stationery denotes the actual writing supplies kept for daily tasks, while its homograph stationery (with a different pronunciation) refers to the place where a station is located or, historically, the goods sold by a stationer.
nounStationery refers to materials for writing and office use, such as paper, pens, and envelopes. It contrasts with budget items and finished goods, focusing on consumables and supplies rather than equipment. In common usage, stationery denotes the actual writing supplies kept for daily tasks, while its homograph stationery (with a different pronunciation) refers to the place where a station is located or, historically, the goods sold by a stationer.
- You may substitute /eɪ/ for /iː/ or mispronounce the second syllable as /ˈsteɪ.ən.əri/ instead of /ˈsteɪ.ʃəˌner.i/; work on the precise /ʃə/ blend and the schwa before -ner. - Another frequent slip is merging /steɪ/ and /ʃə/ too rapidly, producing /steɪʃəneri/ without clear syllable boundaries. Practice slow, then speed up keeping distinct beats. - Final syllable clarity is often weak; ensure the /ri/ or /ɹi/ is audible rather than swallowed. Use a light, crisp /ɹ/ in rhotic accents and a clear /i/ vowel at the end.
"I bought new stationery for the new school year—notebooks, folders, and some gel pens."
"The office supply store has a large selection of stationery and envelopes."
"She kept her stationery neatly organized in a desk drawer for quick access."
Pronounce it as /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.ne.ɹi/ in US English and /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.nə.i/ or /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.əri/ in UK; stress on the first syllable: STEY-shə-ner-ee. Think: 'STAY' + 'shuh' + 'ner' + 'ee' (with a light rhotic ending in US). For most speakers, the second syllable is reduced to a schwa. If you’re using American style, the final -ry is pronounced as /ri/.
Common errors include flattening the middle vowel to /æ/ as in 'stAtionary' and misplacing stress to /ˈstəːˈnɛri/. Also, speakers may merge the second and third syllables, saying /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.əri/ with an unstressed ‘ə’ becoming a schwa only in fast speech. Focus on maintaining a clear /eɪ/ in the first syllable, then a distinct /ʃə/ cluster, and a full /n/ before /ɪ/ or /ri/. Practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the rhythm.
In US English, you’ll hear /ˈsteɪ.ʃəˌner.i/ with a rhotacized final syllable and a clear /ɹ/; UK speakers may reduce the second syllable to /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.əri/ or /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.nə.ri/ with less emphasis on the final /ɹ/ and a slightly different vowel color in /ə/. Australian pronunciation tends to be non-rhotic with a more centralized schwa in the second syllable and a flatter /ɪ/ or /ə/ before the final /ri/. IPA landmarks: US /ˈsteɪ.ʃəˌner.i/, UK /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.əri/, AU /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.nə.ɹi/.
The difficulty lies in the subtle vowel and syllable rhythm: the first syllable has a long /eɪ/ vowel, the middle /ʃə/ tends to be reduced, and the final /əri/ can be tricky, with a clean /r/ in rhotic accents and an unstressed vowel in non-rhotic speech. Additionally, the near-homograph 'stationery' vs 'stationary' confuses many learners. Focused practice on the /eɪ/ onset, the /ʃ/ blend, and the final /əri/ with controlled voicing will help stabilize accuracy across contexts.
Stationery (writing materials) is pronounced with stress on the first syllable and a distinct /ʃə/ in the second syllable: /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.əri/ or /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.nə.ri/. Stationary (not moving) is typically /ˈstæʃ.əˌneɪ.tri/ or /ˈstɒʃ.ən.əri/ depending on dialect, with more emphasis on the second syllable and a different vowel in the initial syllable. The core phonetic difference is that stationery keeps a long /eɪ/ in the first vowel and a clearer /i/ at the end, while stationary often features a shorter vowel in the first syllable and a different vowel chain.
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- US: rhotic /ɹ/ pronounced; keep US-tinted r-colored vowels; /ˈsteɪ.ʃəˌnɜːr.i/ in some regions if lengthen. - UK: often non-rhotic; final /i/ more like /iː/ or /i/; avoid strong /ɹ/; the second syllable tends to be less reduced. - AU: non-rhotic but with a more centralized vowel quality; /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.ə.ɹi/ or /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.nə.ɹi/; keep the /ʃ/ cluster crisp and the /ə/ reduced but not elided. IPA references: US /ˈsteɪ.ˌʃɚˌn̩.ɚi/; UK /ˈsteɪ.ʃən.əri/; AU /ˈsteɪ.ʃə.nə.ɹi/.
Stationery comes from the Old French word estacheterie, from estacheer (to stock, furnish with merchandise) and ultimately from estache, meaning a stock or store. In Middle English, estacheterie referred to a shopkeeper’s stock or wares. By the 14th–15th centuries, the term shifted semantics toward the goods sold by a stationer—a merchant who supplied writing materials. The modern sense of stationary (unmoving) is unrelated, despite identical spelling; stationary derives from Latin stare (to stand) and entered English later, while stationery retained ties to stock, supply, and ware. In early usage, stationers were responsible for producing and selling parchment, inks, writing implements, and paper, with the term gradually narrowing to the set of writing- and office-supply items we recognize today. The distinction between stationery and stationary became clear later as English orthography evolved, but pronunciation remained, and remains, distinct in modern usage: /ˈsteɪʃənəri/ for stationery and /ˈstæʃənəri/ or /ˈstɔːʃənəri/ for stationary (depending on dialect) – though many learners still encounter confusion due to spelling similarity and homographs.
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Words that rhyme with "Stationery"
-ary sounds
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