Pronunciation

How to pronounce “vilify

“vilify” is pronounced /ˈvɪlɪˌfaɪ/ (VI-li-fy) in American English and /vɪlɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vil”.
The sound

Say “vilify” in 3 beats

Say it like this

vilify

/ˈvɪlɪˌfaɪ/

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

3 beats
  1. vilstress
  2. if
  3. yfaɪ
IPA (American)
/ˈvɪlɪˌfaɪ/
IPA (British)
/vɪlɪfaɪ/
Respelling
VI-li-fy
Syllables
3 — VIL-if-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: VIL-if-y. “vil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈvɪlɪˌfaɪ/

British

/vɪlɪfaɪ/

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

Meaning

What “vilify” means

  1. verb

    spread negative information about

    The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews

Say it in a sentence

It is unfair to vilify a man over one mistake.
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

vilify”, answered

How do you pronounce “vilify”?

“vilify” is pronounced /ˈvɪlɪˌfaɪ/ (VI-li-fy) in American English and /vɪlɪfaɪ/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “vil”. Build it as VIL-if-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “vilify” have?

3: vil · if · y. The beat lands on the first, “vil”.

Is “vilify” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈvɪlɪˌfaɪ/ (VI-li-fy); British English says /vɪlɪfaɪ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “vilify” mean?

As a verb: spread negative information about For example: “The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews”

Where is the stress in “vilify”?

Stress the first syllable: VIL-if-y. “vil” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “vilify” 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.