How to pronounce fill
Say it like FIL. Fill 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 fill. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FIL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Fill pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FILSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of fill
American and British speakers say fill in essentially the same way: /fɪl/ in the US and /fɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: FIL.
What does fill mean?
- make full, also in a metaphorical sense“fill a container”“fill the child with pride”
- become full“The pool slowly filled with water”“The theater filled up slowly”
- occupy the whole of“The liquid fills the container”
- a quantity sufficient to satisfy“he ate his fill of potatoes”“she had heard her fill of gossip”
- any material that fills a space or container“there was not enough fill for the trench”
Where does fill come from?
Cognate with Scots fill (“to fill”), West Frisian folje (“to fill”), Low German füllen (“to fill”), Dutch vullen (“to fill”), German füllen (“to fill”), Danish fylde (“to fill”), Swedish fylla (“to fill”), Norwegian fylle (“to fill”), Icela
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with fill
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of fill.
Questions about saying fill
How do you pronounce fill?
Say FIL. The American pronunciation is /fɪl/. In British English it is /fɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in fill?
Fill is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FIL.
Do Americans and Brits say fill the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fɪl/ and the British form is /fɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.