How to pronounce silk
Say it like SILK. Silk 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 silk. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SILK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Silk pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SILKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of silk
American and British speakers say silk in essentially the same way: /sɪlk/ in the US and /sɪlk/ in the UK.
British respelling: SILK.
What does silk mean?
- a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
- animal fibers produced by silkworms and other larvae that spin cocoons and by most spiders
Where does silk come from?
From Middle English silk, sylk, selk, selc, from Old English sioloc, seoloc, seolc (“silk”).
Words that rhyme with silk
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of silk.
Questions about saying silk
How do you pronounce silk?
Say SILK. The American pronunciation is /sɪlk/. In British English it is /sɪlk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in silk?
Silk is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SILK.
Do Americans and Brits say silk the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sɪlk/ and the British form is /sɪlk/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.