Pronunciation

How to pronounce “allay

“allay” is pronounced /əˈleɪ/ (uh-LAY) — 2 syllables, stressed on “lay”.
The sound

Say “allay” in 2 beats

Say it like this

allay

/əˈleɪ/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. alə
  2. layleɪstress
IPA (American)
/əˈleɪ/
IPA (British)
/əˈleɪ/
Respelling
uh-LAY
Syllables
2 — al-LAY
Stress
Stress the second syllable: al-LAY. “lay” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Watch out

Where “allay” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    AL-ay

    the stress is on the second syllable, which rhymes with day

Meaning

What “allay” means

  1. verb

    lessen the intensity of or calm

    The news eased my conscience

  2. verb

    satisfy (thirst)

    The cold water quenched his thirst

Say it in a sentence

A short statement did little to allay anyone's concerns.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

allay”, answered

How do you pronounce “allay”?

“allay” is pronounced /əˈleɪ/ (uh-LAY) — 2 syllables, stressed on “lay”. Build it as al-LAY, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “allay” have?

2: al · lay. The beat lands on the second, “lay”.

What does “allay” mean?

As a verb: lessen the intensity of or calm For example: “The news eased my conscience” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “allay”?

Stress the second syllable: al-LAY. “lay” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “allay” and see every sound

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