stay
/steɪ/
stay is pronounced stay (/steɪ/). Stay is a verb meaning to remain in a place or situation, or to continue to be in a given state. It also functions as an noun in certain legal or formal phrases. The core meaning centers on persistence, duration, and continuity, whether staying in a location, remaining calm, or delaying action. Pronunciation is a single-stress syllable with a long a vowel sound.
Stay is a verb meaning to remain in a place or situation, or to continue to be in a given state. It also functions as an noun in certain legal or formal phrases. The core meaning centers on persistence, duration, and continuity, whether staying in a location, remaining calm, or delaying action. Pronunciation is a single-stress syllable with a long a vowel sound.
- You may substitute /eɪ/ with a pure /e/ or /ɛ/ sound, producing more of a ‘steh’ or ‘stey’ instead of the precise diphthong. Correct by practicing the full /eɪ/ glide, then the final tongue retreat toward /ɪ/ or /i/ as next word begins. - Some pronounce ‘stay’ with an unnecessary extra release, almost a /t/ at the end; avoid by closing mouth after the vowel and letting the word end in a soft alveolar stop only if the next word starts with a consonant cluster. - Linking mistakes: when followed by a consonant, you should keep the vowel distinct; over-nasality or nasalization can blur the /eɪ/; practice with controlled airflow and forward placement to keep the vowel crisp.
"Please stay a little longer so we can finish the project."
"The weather forecast says it will stay dry through the afternoon."
"She decided to stay at the hotel rather than go out."
Stay is pronounced with a single stressed syllable: /steɪ/. Start with a diphthong that moves from /e/ to /ɪ/ into a gliding /ɪ/ toward /eɪ/. In practice, you’ll shape a tall, tense tongue high-mid front position, then glide into a relaxed closing with a slight closing of the jaw. IPA: /steɪ/. Mouth: start with lips slightly spread, tongue high-front, then glide to a neutral high position as you release to the /ɪ/ or vowel onset of the next word if linked. Audio reference cues: listen for the long, clear /eɪ/ diphthong and the crisp stop before the glide.” ,
Common mistakes: (1) Reducing /eɪ/ to a short /e/ sound (sɛ) or to /æ/ like 'stei' without proper glide. Correct by fully producing the /eɪ/ diphthong with a clear glide toward /ɪ/ or towards /i/ depending on the next word. (2) Adding an unnecessary /t/ sound (staɪt) due to overarticulation; avoid by closing the mouth after /eɪ/ and letting the vowel end before the next consonant. (3) Not finishing with a crisp /ɪ/ or /i/ in connected speech; practice linking and trailing off softly.” ,
Across accents, stay remains /steɪ/ but vowel length and quality can shift slightly. US and UK generally use /steɪ/ with a pure diphthong, rhoticity doesn’t affect this word much, but linking can differ: Americans might glide into the next word (stay at, stay in) with a lighter /ə/; Brits may maintain crisper boundaries and less vowel reduction; in Australian English, there can be a slightly more centralized vowel quality with a subtle flattening. Overall, the core is /eɪ/; variation lies in surrounding consonants and syllable timing rather than the vowel core.” ,
The challenge is the diphthong /eɪ/ that requires a precise glide from mid/front to a higher glide, and the light, clipped final consonant boundary when next word begins with a vowel or consonant. Speakers often shorten or flatten the vowel, or insert extraneous consonants (like /t/). Focus on maintaining a clean /eɪ/ and letting the word end with a gentle tail-off rather than a hard stop; practice with connected speech to maintain natural rhythm.
A distinctive feature is the diphthongal vowel /eɪ/ in a single closed syllable, with no coda consonant in the same syllable, making it sensitive to pace and linking. The word relies on precise mouth opening and tongue height to articulate the initial /s/ and /t/ cluster cleanly before transitioning to the glide. The presence or absence of a following consonant or vowel strongly shapes the perceived accuracy of /eɪ/ in rapid speech.
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- US: maintain a crisp, mid-front tongue and a more pronounced diphthong glide; keep the /t/ soft if next word begins with a vowel by using partial release. - UK: crisper vowel, less diphthonization sometimes; keep a tight jaw and clear /eɪ/ with minimal post-vowel vowel bleed; - AU: slightly more centralized vowel quality, watch for vowel reduction in rapid speech; sustain /eɪ/ with a smooth glide and keep the /s/ and /t/ clear but efficient. IPA references: /steɪ/ in all three; adjust surrounding vowel quality.” ,
Stay comes from Middle English stai, from Old English stæġ, linked with the verb stayan meaning 'to stay, stay behind' and further connected to Proto-Germanic *stōwią; cognates appear in Dutch staay and German Staen, with shifts in meaning toward remaining in place. The Ancient Germanic base carried the sense of standing or staying in one spot, often describing a person’s posture or a delaying action. In Early Modern English, stay broadened to verb senses about remaining in a place, persisting in a course of action, and resisting removal, as in legal stays or stays of execution. Over time, stay also assumed subtler uses like to stop something from proceeding (a stay of proceedings) and to remain in a temporary condition (longer stay). The word retains a concise, action-oriented connotation that emphasizes continuation and stabilization. First known written uses appear in legal and administrative texts of the 12th-13th centuries, while colloquial uses solidified in later centuries with the rise of travel and residence-related phrases, crystallizing into the common verb form we rely on today.
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Words that rhyme with "stay"
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