How to pronounce guile
Say it like GHYLE. Guile 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 guile. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GHYLE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Guile pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GHYLESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of guile
American and British speakers say guile in essentially the same way: /ɡaɪl/ in the US and /ɡaɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: GHYLE.
What does guile mean?
- Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception.
- Deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.
- Alternative form of gyle.
- To deceive, beguile, bewile.
Where does guile come from?
From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”), from Frankish *wīl (“ruse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with guile
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of guile.
Questions about saying guile
How do you pronounce guile?
Say GHYLE. The American pronunciation is /ɡaɪl/. In British English it is /ɡaɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in guile?
Guile is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: GHYLE.
Do Americans and Brits say guile the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ɡaɪl/ and the British form is /ɡaɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.