How to pronounce fell
Say it like FEL. Fell 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 fell. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FEL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Fell pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FELSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of fell
American and British speakers say fell in essentially the same way: /fɛl/ in the US and /fɛl/ in the UK.
British respelling: FEL.
What does fell mean?
- cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow“strike down a tree”“Lightning struck down the hikers”
- pass away rapidly“Time flies like an arrow”“Time fleeing beneath him”
- sew a seam by folding the edges
- the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
- seam made by turning under or folding together and stitching the seamed materials to avoid rough edges
- the act of felling something (as a tree)
- (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering“a barbarous crime”“brutal beatings”
Where does fell come from?
Cognate with Dutch vellen (“to fell, cut down”), German fällen (“to fell”), Danish fælde (“to fell”), Norwegian felle (“to fell”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with fell
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of fell.
Questions about saying fell
How do you pronounce fell?
Say FEL. The American pronunciation is /fɛl/. In British English it is /fɛl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in fell?
Fell is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FEL.
Do Americans and Brits say fell the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fɛl/ and the British form is /fɛl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.