How to pronounce foil
Say it like FOYL. Foil 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 foil. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FOYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Foil pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FOYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oy" in boy.
American vs British pronunciation of foil
American and British speakers say foil in essentially the same way: /fɔɪl/ in the US and /fɔɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: FOYL.
What does foil mean?
- enhance by contrast“In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background”
- hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of“What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge”“foil your opponent”
- cover or back with foil“foil mirrors”
- a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal“the photographic film was wrapped in foil”
- anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities“pretty girls like plain friends as foils”
- a device consisting of a flat or curved piece (as a metal plate) so that its surface reacts to the water it is passing through“the fins of a fish act as hydrofoils”
Where does foil come from?
Doublet of folio and folium, distantly also with phyllo and phyllon.
Words that rhyme with foil
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of foil.
Questions about saying foil
How do you pronounce foil?
Say FOYL. The American pronunciation is /fɔɪl/. In British English it is /fɔɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in foil?
Foil is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: FOYL.
Do Americans and Brits say foil the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /fɔɪl/ and the British form is /fɔɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.