Pronunciation

How to pronounce “mayonnaise

“mayonnaise” is pronounced /ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/ (MAY-uh-nayz) in American English and /ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mayon”.
The sound

Say “mayonnaise” in 3 beats

Say it like this

mayonnaise

/ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

3 beats
  1. mayonmeɪstress
  2. naisə
  3. eneɪz
IPA (American)
/ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/
IPA (British)
/ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/
Respelling
MAY-uh-nayz
Syllables
3 — MAYON-nais-e
Stress
Stress the first syllable: MAYON-nais-e. “mayon” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/

British

/ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Watch out

Where “mayonnaise” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    MAN-ayz

    three syllables: MAY-uh-nayz

Meaning

What “mayonnaise” means

  1. noun

    egg yolks and oil and vinegar

Say it in a sentence

She makes mayonnaise by hand with oil, egg and a little mustard.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

mayonnaise”, answered

How do you pronounce “mayonnaise”?

“mayonnaise” is pronounced /ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/ (MAY-uh-nayz) in American English and /ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “mayon”. Build it as MAYON-nais-e, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “mayonnaise” have?

3: mayon · nais · e. The beat lands on the first, “mayon”.

Is “mayonnaise” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/ (MAY-uh-nayz); British English says /ˌmeɪəˈneɪz/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “mayonnaise” mean?

As a noun: egg yolks and oil and vinegar For example: “She makes mayonnaise by hand with oil, egg and a little mustard.”

Where is the stress in “mayonnaise”?

Stress the first syllable: MAYON-nais-e. “mayon” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “mayonnaise” 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.