Pronunciation

How to pronounce “lake

“lake” is pronounced /leɪk/ (LAYK) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “lake” in one beat

Say it like this

lake

/leɪk/

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

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

What “lake” means

  1. noun

    a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

  2. noun

    a purplish red pigment prepared from lac or cochineal

  3. noun

    any of numerous bright translucent organic pigments

Say it in a sentence

They rowed a small boat across the quiet lake.
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

lake”, answered

How do you pronounce “lake”?

“lake” is pronounced /leɪk/ (LAYK) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /leɪk/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “lake” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /leɪk/ — a single beat.

What does “lake” mean?

As a noun: a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land For example: “They rowed a small boat across the quiet lake.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “lake”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “lake” and see every sound

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