How to pronounce “tells”
Say “tells” in one beat
tells
/tɛlz/
The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- tellstɛlz
- IPA (American)
- /tɛlz/
- IPA (British)
- /tɛlz/
- Respelling
- TELZ
- Syllables
- 1 — tells
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /tɛlz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
What “tells” means
- noun
a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)
- verb
express in words
“He said that he wanted to marry her”
- verb
let something be known
“Tell them that you will be late”
Say it in a sentence
“The old clock tells the wrong time since the power cut.”“tells”, answered
How do you pronounce “tells”?
“tells” is pronounced /tɛlz/ (TELZ) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /tɛlz/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “tells” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /tɛlz/ — a single beat.
What does “tells” mean?
As a noun: a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap) For example: “The old clock tells the wrong time since the power cut.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “tells”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /tɛlz/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “tells” 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.