How to pronounce kilt
Say it like KILT. Kilt is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- KILT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Kilt pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KILTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of kilt
American and British speakers say kilt in essentially the same way: /kɪlt/ in the US and /kɪlt/ in the UK.
British respelling: KILT.
What does kilt mean?
- To gather up (skirts) around the body.
- A traditional Scottish garment, usually worn by men, having roughly the same morphology as a wrap-around skirt, with overlapping front aprons and pleated around the sides and back, and usually made of twill-woven worsted wool with a tartan pattern.
- A plaid, pleated school uniform skirt sometimes structured as a wraparound, sometimes pleated throughout the entire circumference; also worn by boys in the 19th-century United States.
- A variety of non-bifurcated garments made for men and loosely resembling a Scottish kilt, but most often made from different fabrics and not always with tartan plaid designs.
Where does kilt come from?
From Middle English kilten (“to tuck up, gird”), apparently from North Germanic, ultimately from Old Norse kelta, kjalta (“skirt; lap”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- filibeg
- philibeg
Words that rhyme with kilt
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of kilt.
Questions about saying kilt
How do you pronounce kilt?
Say KILT. The American pronunciation is /kɪlt/. In British English it is /kɪlt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in kilt?
Kilt is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KILT.
Do Americans and Brits say kilt the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kɪlt/ and the British form is /kɪlt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.