Pronunciation

How to pronounce “male

“male” is pronounced /meɪl/ (MAYL) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “male” in one beat

Say it like this

male

/meɪl/

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

1 beat
  1. malemeɪl
IPA (American)
/meɪl/
IPA (British)
/meɪl/
Respelling
MAYL
Syllables
1 — male
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /meɪl/ 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 “male” means

  1. noun

    an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova)

  2. noun

    a person who belongs to the sex that cannot have babies

  3. noun

    the capital of Maldives in the center of the islands

Say it in a sentence

The zoo welcomed a new male lion earlier this spring.
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

male”, answered

How do you pronounce “male”?

“male” is pronounced /meɪl/ (MAYL) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /meɪl/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “male” have?

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

What does “male” mean?

As a noun: an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes (ova) For example: “The zoo welcomed a new male lion earlier this spring.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “male”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “male” and see every sound

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