How to pronounce single
Say it like SING-gul. Single has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SING).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce single. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SING
- gul
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Single pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SINGSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
- gulKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of single
American and British speakers say single in essentially the same way: /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ in the US and /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ in the UK.
British respelling: SING-gul.
What does single mean?
- a base hit on which the batter stops safely at first base
- the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number“he has the one but will need a two and three to go with it”“they had lunch at one”
- hit a single“the batter singled to left field”
- being or characteristic of a single thing or person“individual drops of rain”“please mark the individual pages”
- used of flowers having usually only one row or whorl of petals“single chrysanthemums resemble daisies and may have more than one row of petals”
- existing alone or consisting of one entity or part or aspect or individual“upon the hill stood a single tower”“had but a single thought which was to escape”
Where does single come from?
From Middle English single, sengle, from Old French sengle, saingle, sangle, from Latin singulus, a diminutive derived from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with single
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of single.
Questions about saying single
How do you pronounce single?
Say SING-gul. The American pronunciation is /ˈsɪŋɡəl/. In British English it is /ˈsɪŋɡəl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in single?
Single has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SING). Broken into parts: SING · gul.
Do Americans and Brits say single the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈsɪŋɡəl/ and the British form is /ˈsɪŋɡəl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.