Pronunciation

How to pronounce “wind

“wind” has two pronunciations: /wɪnd/ as a noun and /waɪnd/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the sounds inside it do, and nothing on the page tells you which one a sentence wants. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form.
Two pronunciations

wind” is said two ways

As a noun

/wɪnd/

wind

Moving air. Short i, as in tin.

As a verb

/waɪnd/

wynd

To turn or coil. Rhymes with find.

Listen for the vowel, not the letters

The spelling never moves; the sounds inside it do. Practise the two back to back, so your mouth stops defaulting to whichever one you learnt first.Both forms live in one sentence here: “Wind the clock before the wind picks up again.

Each button plays a short phrase rather than the bare word: the model voice takes its stress from the words around it, so asking it for “wind” on its own would play one reading twice instead of the noun and the verb. Read the transcription as you listen.

The sound

Say “wind” in one beat

Say it like this — as a noun

wind

/wɪnd/

Everything in this card describes the noun form. As a verb it is /waɪnd/.

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

1 beat
  1. windwɪnd
IPA (American)
/wɪnd/
IPA (British)
/wɪnd/
Respelling
wind (noun) · wynd (verb)
Syllables
1 — wind
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɪnd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Watch out

Where “wind” goes wrong

  • Often heard

    wynd from the north

    the weather is wind with a short i; wynd means to turn

Meaning

What “wind” means

  1. noun

    air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

    trees bent under the fierce winds

  2. noun

    a tendency or force that influences events

    the winds of change

  3. noun

    breath

    the collision knocked the wind out of him

Say it in a sentence

Wind the clock before the wind picks up again.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

wind”, answered

How do you pronounce “wind”?

“wind” has two pronunciations: /wɪnd/ as a noun and /waɪnd/ as a verb — the part of speech decides which. The spelling never changes; the sounds inside it do, and nothing on the page tells you which one a sentence wants. The transcription and syllable breakdown below describe the noun form. It is one unbroken piece — /wɪnd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “wind” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɪnd/ — a single beat.

Which pronunciation of “wind” is correct?

Both are. /wɪnd/ (wind) as a noun; /waɪnd/ (wynd) as a verb. Nothing about the spelling tells you which — the sentence does, and the two are as different as any two words. Both appear here: “Wind the clock before the wind picks up again.”

What does “wind” mean?

As a noun: air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure For example: “trees bent under the fierce winds” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “wind”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “wind” 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.