English pronunciation · Words Starting with A

Adagio Pronunciation

Adagio is pronounced uh-DAH-zhee-oh, IPA /əˈdɑʒiˌoʊ/.

uh-DAH-zhee-oh

US /əˈdɑʒiˌoʊ/  ·  UK /æˈdɑːdʒɪˌəʊ/

Syllables: uh · DAH · zhee · oh (4 syllables, stress on syllable 2)

noun and adverb: A slow passage of music, or a direction to play slowly.

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Adagio in a Sentence

  • The adagio is the only movement most people know.
  • She played the adagio from memory.
  • The score is marked adagio from bar forty.

Common Mispronunciations of Adagio

Not uh-DA-jee-oh

Italian gi before a vowel gives the zh of measure in the usual English rendering, so the middle is DAH-zhee rather than DA-jee.

Not a-DAY-jee-oh

Open the stressed vowel to the ah of father. The spelling invites a long ay that the word never takes.

Tip: Four syllables, uh-DAH-zhee-oh. The plural in English is adagios.

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