How to pronounce downhill
Say it like down-HIL. Downhill has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (HIL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce downhill. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- down
- HIL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Downhill pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- downGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
- HILSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of downhill
American and British speakers say downhill in essentially the same way: /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/ in the US and /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: down-HIL.
What does downhill mean?
- sloping down rather steeply
- the downward slope of a hill
- a ski race down a trail
- toward a lower or inferior state“your performance has been going downhill for a long time now”
- toward the bottom of a hill“running downhill, he gained a lot of speed”
Where does downhill come from?
From down- + hill.
Words that rhyme with downhill
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of downhill.
Questions about saying downhill
How do you pronounce downhill?
Say down-HIL. The American pronunciation is /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/. In British English it is /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in downhill?
Downhill has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (HIL). Broken into parts: down · HIL.
Do Americans and Brits say downhill the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/ and the British form is /ˌdaʊnˈhɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.