How to pronounce nickel
Say it like NIK-ul. Nickel has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (NIK).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce nickel. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- NIK
- ul
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Nickel pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- NIKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- ulKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of nickel
American and British speakers say nickel in essentially the same way: /ˈnɪkəl/ in the US and /ˈnɪkəl/ in the UK.
British respelling: NIK-ul.
What does nickel mean?
- a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite
- a United States coin worth one twentieth of a dollar
- five dollars worth of a drug“a nickel bag of drugs”“a nickel deck of heroin”
- plate with nickel“nickel the plate”
Where does nickel come from?
Borrowed from German Nickel, first used in a text by the Swedish mineralogist Axel F.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
- ni
Words that rhyme with nickel
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of nickel.
Questions about saying nickel
How do you pronounce nickel?
Say NIK-ul. The American pronunciation is /ˈnɪkəl/. In British English it is /ˈnɪkəl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in nickel?
Nickel has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (NIK). Broken into parts: NIK · ul.
Do Americans and Brits say nickel the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈnɪkəl/ and the British form is /ˈnɪkəl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.