Pronunciation

How to pronounce “single

“single” is pronounced /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ (SING-guhl) in American English and /sɪŋɡəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sing”.
The sound

Say “single” in 2 beats

Say it like this

single

/ˈsɪŋɡəl/

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

2 beats
  1. singsɪŋstress
  2. leɡəl
IPA (American)
/ˈsɪŋɡəl/
IPA (British)
/sɪŋɡəl/
Respelling
SING-guhl
Syllables
2 — SING-le
Stress
Stress the first syllable: SING-le. “sing” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈsɪŋɡəl/

British

/sɪŋɡəl/

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

Meaning

What “single” means

  1. noun

    a base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base

  2. noun

    the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

    he has the one but will need a two and three to go with it

  3. verb

    hit a single

    the batter singled to left field

Say it in a sentence

Not a single seat was empty during the concert.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 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

single”, answered

How do you pronounce “single”?

“single” is pronounced /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ (SING-guhl) in American English and /sɪŋɡəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “sing”. Build it as SING-le, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “single” have?

2: sing · le. The beat lands on the first, “sing”.

Is “single” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ (SING-guhl); British English says /sɪŋɡəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “single” mean?

As a noun: a base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base For example: “Not a single seat was empty during the concert.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “single”?

Stress the first syllable: SING-le. “sing” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “single” 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.