Pronunciation

How to pronounce “thistle

“thistle” is pronounced /ˈθɪsəl/ (THI-suhl) in American English and /θɪsəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “thist”.
The sound

Say “thistle” in 2 beats

Say it like this

thistle

/ˈθɪsəl/

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

2 beats
  1. thistθɪstress
  2. lesəl
IPA (American)
/ˈθɪsəl/
IPA (British)
/θɪsəl/
Respelling
THI-suhl
Syllables
2 — THIST-le
Stress
Stress the first syllable: THIST-le. “thist” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls 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

/ˈθɪsəl/

British

/θɪsəl/

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

Meaning

What “thistle” means

  1. noun

    any of numerous plants of the family Compositae and especially of the genera Carduus and Cirsium and Onopordum having prickly-edged leaves

Say it in a sentence

A single thistle grew in the middle of the vegetable bed.
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

thistle”, answered

How do you pronounce “thistle”?

“thistle” is pronounced /ˈθɪsəl/ (THI-suhl) in American English and /θɪsəl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “thist”. Build it as THIST-le, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “thistle” have?

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

Is “thistle” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈθɪsəl/ (THI-suhl); British English says /θɪsəl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “thistle” mean?

As a noun: any of numerous plants of the family Compositae and especially of the genera Carduus and Cirsium and Onopordum having prickly-edged leaves For example: “A single thistle grew in the middle of the vegetable bed.”

Where is the stress in “thistle”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “thistle” and see every sound

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