Pronunciation

How to pronounce “may

“may” is pronounced /meɪ/ (MAY) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “may” in one beat

Say it like this

may

/meɪ/

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

1 beat
  1. maymeɪ
IPA (American)
/meɪ/
IPA (British)
/meɪ/
Respelling
MAY
Syllables
1 — may
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /meɪ/ 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 “may” means

  1. noun

    the month following April and preceding June

  2. noun

    thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of white to scarlet flowers followed by deep red berries; established as an escape in eastern North America

Say it in a sentence

You may leave the room once you finish the test.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

2 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

may”, answered

How do you pronounce “may”?

“may” is pronounced /meɪ/ (MAY) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /meɪ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “may” have?

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

What does “may” mean?

As a noun: the month following April and preceding June For example: “You may leave the room once you finish the test.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “may”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “may” 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.