Pronunciation

How to pronounce “kill”

“kill” is pronounced /kɪl/ (KIL) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “kill” in one beat

Say it like this

kill

/kɪl/

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

1 beat
  1. killkɪl
IPA (American)
/kɪl/
IPA (British)
/kɪl/
Respelling
KIL
Syllables
1 — kill
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɪl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “kill” means

  1. noun

    the act of terminating a life

  2. noun

    the destruction of an enemy plane or ship or tank or missile

    “the pilot reported two kills during the mission”

  3. verb

    cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

    “This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank”

Say it in a sentence

“The frost can kill young plants overnight if left uncovered.”
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

“kill”, answered

How do you pronounce “kill”?

“kill” is pronounced /kɪl/ (KIL) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /kɪl/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “kill” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /kɪl/ — a single beat.

What does “kill” mean?

As a noun: the act of terminating a life For example: “The frost can kill young plants overnight if left uncovered.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “kill”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /kɪl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “kill” 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.