Pronunciation

How to pronounce “message

“message” is pronounced /ˈmɛsədʒ/ (ME-suhj) in American English and /mɛsɪdʒ/ in British English, and /ˈmɛsɪdʒ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “mɛ”.
The sound

Say “message” in 2 beats

Say it like this

message

/ˈmɛsədʒ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /mɛsɪdʒ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. stress
  2. sədʒsədʒ
IPA (American)
/ˈmɛsədʒ/
IPA (British)
/mɛsɪdʒ/
Also accepted
/ˈmɛsɪdʒ/
Respelling
ME-suhj
Syllables
2 — MƐ-sədʒ
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MƐ-sədʒ. “mɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmɛsədʒ/

British

/mɛsɪdʒ/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “message” means

  1. noun

    a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled

    he sent a three-word message

  2. noun

    what a communication that is about something is about

  3. verb

    send a message to

    She messaged the committee

Say it in a sentence

She left a short message on his voicemail that evening.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

message”, answered

How do you pronounce “message”?

“message” is pronounced /ˈmɛsədʒ/ (ME-suhj) in American English and /mɛsɪdʒ/ in British English, and /ˈmɛsɪdʒ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “mɛ”. Build it as MƐ-sədʒ, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “message” have?

2: mɛ · sədʒ. The beat lands on the first, “mɛ”.

Is “message” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmɛsədʒ/ (ME-suhj); British English says /mɛsɪdʒ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “message” mean?

As a noun: a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled For example: “he sent a three-word message” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “message”?

Stress the first syllable: MƐ-sədʒ. “mɛ” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “message” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.