How to pronounce shade
Say it like SHAYD. Shade 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 shade. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SHAYD
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Shade pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SHAYDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of shade
American and British speakers say shade in essentially the same way: /ʃeɪd/ in the US and /ʃeɪd/ in the UK.
British respelling: SHAYD.
What does shade mean?
- relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body“it is much cooler in the shade”“there's too much shadiness to take good photographs”
- a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color“after several trials he mixed the shade of pink that she wanted”
- protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight“they used umbrellas as shades”“as the sun moved he readjusted the shade”
- cast a shadow over
- represent the effect of shade or shadow on
- protect from light, heat, or view“Shade your eyes when you step out into the bright sunlight”
Where does shade come from?
Inherited from Middle English schade, from Old English sċeadu, from Proto-West Germanic *skadu, from Proto-Germanic *skaduz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ḱh₃tús, from *(s)ḱeh₃-.
Words that rhyme with shade
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of shade.
Questions about saying shade
How do you pronounce shade?
Say SHAYD. The American pronunciation is /ʃeɪd/. In British English it is /ʃeɪd/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in shade?
Shade is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SHAYD.
Do Americans and Brits say shade the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ʃeɪd/ and the British form is /ʃeɪd/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.