Pronunciation

How to pronounce “main

“main” is pronounced /meɪn/ (MAYN) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “main” in one beat

Say it like this

main

/meɪn/

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

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

What “main” means

  1. noun

    any very large body of (salt) water

  2. noun

    a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage

  3. adjective

    most important element

    the chief aim of living

Say it in a sentence

The main road was closed for repairs all week.
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

main”, answered

How do you pronounce “main”?

“main” is pronounced /meɪn/ (MAYN) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /meɪn/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “main” have?

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

What does “main” mean?

As a noun: any very large body of (salt) water For example: “The main road was closed for repairs all week.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “main”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “main” 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.