How to pronounce boil
Say it like BOYL. Boil is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce boil. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BOYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Boil pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BOYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oy" in boy.
American vs British pronunciation of boil
American and British speakers say boil in essentially the same way: /bɔɪl/ in the US and /bɔɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: BOYL.
What does boil mean?
- come to the boiling point and change from a liquid to vapor“Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius”
- immerse or be immersed in a boiling liquid, often for cooking purposes“boil potatoes”“boil wool”
- bring to, or maintain at, the boiling point“boil this liquid until it evaporates”
- a painful sore with a hard core filled with pus
- the temperature at which a liquid boils at sea level“they brought the water to a boil”
Where does boil come from?
Akin to Dutch buil (“boil, swelling”), German Beule (“boil, hump”), Icelandic beyla (“swelling, hump”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with boil
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of boil.
Questions about saying boil
How do you pronounce boil?
Say BOYL. The American pronunciation is /bɔɪl/. In British English it is /bɔɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in boil?
Boil is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BOYL.
Do Americans and Brits say boil the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bɔɪl/ and the British form is /bɔɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.