How to pronounce clay
Say it like KLAY. Clay 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 clay. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KLAY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Clay pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KLAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of clay
American and British speakers say clay in essentially the same way: /kleɪ/ in the US and /kleɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: KLAY.
What does clay mean?
- a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
- water soaked soil; soft wet earth
- United States general who commanded United States forces in Europe from 1945 to 1949 and who oversaw the Berlin airlift (1897-1978)
Where does clay come from?
From Middle English cley, clay, from Old English clǣġ (“clay”), from Proto-West Germanic *klaij, from Proto-Germanic *klajjaz (“clay”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- (“to glue, paste, stick together”).
Words that rhyme with clay
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of clay.
Questions about saying clay
How do you pronounce clay?
Say KLAY. The American pronunciation is /kleɪ/. In British English it is /kleɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in clay?
Clay is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KLAY.
Do Americans and Brits say clay the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kleɪ/ and the British form is /kleɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.