How to pronounce melee
Say it like MAY-lay. Melee has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (MAY).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce melee. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- MAY
- lay
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Melee pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
- layGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of melee
American and British speakers say melee in essentially the same way: /ˈmeɪˌleɪ/ in the US and /ˈmɛˌleɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: MEL-ay.
What does melee mean?
- A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.
- A loud, confused or tumultuous fight, argument or scrap.
- Any confused, disorganised, disordered or chaotic situation.
- To physically hit in close quarters, as opposed to shooting, blowing up, or other ranged means of damage. Often refers to the usage of a hand-to-hand weapon.
- Of a weapon: used in close-range combat, e.g. a sword. Compare with ranged.
- Of a character, using melee weapons.
Where does melee come from?
Borrowed from French mêlée, from Old French meslee, feminine past participle of mesler (“to mix”), derived from Latin misceō (“mix”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying melee
How do you pronounce melee?
Say MAY-lay. The American pronunciation is /ˈmeɪˌleɪ/. In British English it is /ˈmɛˌleɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in melee?
Melee has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (MAY). Broken into parts: MAY · lay.
Do Americans and Brits say melee the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈmeɪˌleɪ/ and the British form is /ˈmɛˌleɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.