message · massage

/ˈmɛs.ɪdʒ/ vs /məˈsɑːʒ/ — stress flips, vowel changes, and massage ends with a French /ʒ/.

These words look similar but sound very different. message is fully English: stress on the first syllable, ends with /ɪdʒ/.massage is borrowed from French: stress on the second syllable, long /ɑː/, and a French /ʒ/ ending — like the “s” in treasure or vision.

Stress and syllable breakdown

message

MES · ij

stress on 1st syllable

massage

muh · SAZH

stress on 2nd syllable

⠿ reorder

a written or spoken communication — 'Did you get my message?'

mouth shape

2 syllables — MES-ij — stress on first: short /ɛ/, ends with soft /ɪdʒ/ (like the end of 'bridge')

message

/ˈmɛs.ɪdʒ/

vowel length

short /ɛ/

⠿ reorder

rubbing muscles to relax — 'She booked a massage at the spa'

mouth shape

2 syllables — muh-SAZH — stress on SECOND: long /ɑː/, ends with French /ʒ/ (like 's' in 'treasure')

massage

/məˈsɑːʒ/

vowel length

long /ɑː/

Key difference

message MES-ij: stress first, ends with /ɪdʒ/ — like the end of bridge. massage muh-SAZH: stress second, long /ɑː/, ends with French /ʒ/ — like the “s” in treasure or measure.

The French /ʒ/ sound — words with this ending

massage/ˈmɑːʒ/

garage/ɡəˈrɑːʒ/

mirage/mɪˈrɑːʒ/

prestige/prɛˈstiːʒ/

Example sentences

message:“I left you a message— did you get it?”

massage:“She booked a full-body massage at the spa.”

Hear it in a sentence

“He left a message on the answering machine at half past nine.”

“A full-body massage was exactly what she needed after the long race.”

Hear it in the wild