How to pronounce mile
Say it like MYLE. Mile 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 mile. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- MYLE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Mile pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- MYLESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in time.
American vs British pronunciation of mile
American and British speakers say mile in essentially the same way: /maɪl/ in the US and /maɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: MYLE.
What does mile mean?
- a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
- a unit of length used in navigation; exactly 1,852 meters; historically based on the distance spanned by one minute of arc in latitude
- a large distance“he missed by a mile”
Where does mile come from?
From Middle English myle, mile, from Old English mīl, from Proto-West Germanic *mīliju, a borrowing of Latin mīlia, mīllia, plural of mīle, mīlle (“mile”) (literally ‘thousand’ but used as a short form of mīlle passūs (“a thousand paces”)).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with mile
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of mile.
Questions about saying mile
How do you pronounce mile?
Say MYLE. The American pronunciation is /maɪl/. In British English it is /maɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in mile?
Mile is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: MYLE.
Do Americans and Brits say mile the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /maɪl/ and the British form is /maɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.