Pronunciation

How to pronounce “whale

“whale” is pronounced /weɪl/ (WAYL), and /hweɪl/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “whale” in one beat

Say it like this

whale

/weɪl/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. whaleweɪl
IPA (American)
/weɪl/
IPA (British)
/weɪl/
Also accepted
/hweɪl/
Respelling
WAYL
Syllables
1 — whale
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /weɪl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Meaning

What “whale” means

  1. noun

    a very large person; impressive in size or qualities

  2. noun

    any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head

  3. verb

    hunt for whales

Say it in a sentence

A whale surfaced twice before disappearing under the boat.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

whale”, answered

How do you pronounce “whale”?

“whale” is pronounced /weɪl/ (WAYL), and /hweɪl/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /weɪl/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “whale” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /weɪl/ — a single beat.

Is “whale” /weɪl/ or /hweɪl/?

Both. /weɪl/ is the form dictionaries list first (WAYL).

What does “whale” mean?

As a noun: a very large person; impressive in size or qualities For example: “A whale surfaced twice before disappearing under the boat.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “whale”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /weɪl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

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