How to pronounce chill
Say it like CHIL. Chill 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 chill. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- CHIL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Chill pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- CHILSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of chill
American and British speakers say chill in essentially the same way: /tʃɪl/ in the US and /tʃɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: CHIL.
What does chill mean?
- coldness due to a cold environment
- an almost pleasurable sensation of fright“a frisson of surprise shot through him”
- a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
- depress or discourage“The news of the city's surrender chilled the soldiers”
- make cool or cooler“Chill the food”
- loose heat“The air cooled considerably after the thunderstorm”
Where does chill come from?
From Middle English chele, chile, from Old English ċiele, ċele (“cold; coldness”), from Proto-West Germanic *kali, from Proto-Germanic *kaliz, from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold”).
Words that rhyme with chill
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of chill.
Questions about saying chill
How do you pronounce chill?
Say CHIL. The American pronunciation is /tʃɪl/. In British English it is /tʃɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in chill?
Chill is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: CHIL.
Do Americans and Brits say chill the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tʃɪl/ and the British form is /tʃɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.