TEE-nayj
/ˈtiˌneɪdʒ/
teenage is pronounced TEE-nayj (/ˈtiˌneɪdʒ/). Teenage refers to the period of life between childhood and adulthood, typically spanning ages thirteen to nineteen. The term often describes characteristics, behavior, or experiences associated with adolescence. In everyday use, it also functions as an adjective describing things related to teenagers, such as teenage years or teenage culture.
Teenage refers to the period of life between childhood and adulthood, typically spanning ages thirteen to nineteen. The term often describes characteristics, behavior, or experiences associated with adolescence. In everyday use, it also functions as an adjective describing things related to teenagers, such as teenage years or teenage culture.
- You may over-accent the first syllable and stretch /tiː/ too long, making the word sound hesitant. - Some learners insert a schwa in the middle (ˈtiː-nə·dʒ) or mispronounce /eɪdʒ/ as /dʒ/ alone. - Another common error is truncating /eɪ/ to a short /e/ or /ɛ/ and dropping the final /dʒ/ sound, leading to TEEN-EDJ. Correction tips: keep /tiːn/ clean, transition quickly to /eɪdʒ/, ensure the final /dʒ/ is audible, and practice linking with surrounding words for natural rhythm.
"She started high school as a shy freshman, but by her teenage years she had become more confident."
"Many parents worry about teenage independence during puberty."
"The teenage years are crucial for developing identity and social skills."
Pronounce it as /ˈtiːnˌeɪdʒ/. The first syllable is a stressed long “teen” with a long /iː/ vowel, followed by a light, unstressed “age” /eɪdʒ/. Ensure you glide from /iː/ to /eɪ/ smoothly without adding an extra syllable. If you record yourself, aim for a clean two-syllable cadence: TEEN-age.
Common errors include reducing it to two quick sounds like /tiːn/ and ending with a clipped /eɪdʒ/ without the proper secondary stress. Some speakers insert an extra syllable (te-n-ij) or mispronounce the /eɪ/ as a short /ɛ/ vowel. Focus on keeping /tiːn/ long and clear, then release into /eɪdʒ/ with a light, quick transition.
In US and UK, you’ll hear /ˈtiːnˌeɪdʒ/ with primary stress on TEEN. The /iː/ is a tense, high-front vowel; the /eɪ/ is a mid-to-close front diphthong. Australian speakers often maintain the same two-syllable structure but may exhibit a more centralized /ɪ/ or slightly different diphthong quality due to rhotic vs non-rhotic tendencies. Overall, the vowel durations are comparable, with subtle quality shifts in rhotic vs non-rhotic contexts.
The challenge lies in smoothly sequencing two close vowels across a consonant-vibrant boundary: the long /iː/ in TEEN and the /eɪ/ in AGE. Beginners often insert extra syllables or reduce the /eɪ/ into a shorter vowel. Mastery requires precise tongue elevation for /iː/, then a controlled glide into /eɪ/ and final /dʒ/ release. Practicing with minimal pairs helps anchor the transition.
The word emphasizes adolescence as a phase; the pronunciation remains consistent, but you might hear lighter intonation on the second syllable in casual speech to convey a casual or playful tone: TEEN-age. In rapid speech, you may link the /n/ of /tiːn/ with the /eɪ/ of /eɪdʒ/ making it sound almost like /ˈtiːnˌeɪdʒ/. Awareness of linking helps naturalness in conversation.
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- US: maintain rhoticity in connected speech; ensure the /ɹ/ only appears in surrounding words, but not in teenage. Vowel quality is pure /iː/ and diphthong /eɪ/. - UK: non-rhotic; the /r/ is not pronounced, and vowel qualities remain clear; the /iː/ should be tense, the /eɪ/ crisp. - AU: similar to US/UK, with slightly broader diphthongs and potential vowel raising in some regions; practice keeping /iː/ tall and /eɪ/ as a clean glide. IPA references: US /ˈtiːnˌeɪdʒ/, UK /ˈtiːnˌeɪdʒ/, AU /ˈtiːnˌeɪdʒ/.
The word teenage originates from the 13th to 19th centuries and is formed by combining the numeral suffixes in English with the noun “teen,” which is derived from Old English tæne and tæn, reflecting the numbers ending in -teen (thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, etc.). The suffix -teen itself is cognate with German -zehn and Dutch -tien, all tracing back to the Proto-Germanic root *tehun-. The concept of adolescence as a named life stage emerged in the 20th century, with “teenage” used to describe people in their early teens and later extended to cover the broader teenage years. The usage evolved from literal age references to a cultural descriptor for behaviors, trends, and media aimed at that cohort. First known uses in printed English appear in the 18th–19th centuries as “teen” (the numerically suffixed form) and gradually solidified into “teenage” by the early 20th century, signaling the age-related phase associated with being in the teens.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "teenage" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "teenage" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "teenage"
-age sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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