How to pronounce skein
Say it like SKAYN. Skein 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 skein. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SKAYN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Skein pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SKAYNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of skein
American and British speakers say skein in essentially the same way: /skeɪn/ in the US and /skeɪn/ in the UK.
British respelling: SKAYN.
What does skein mean?
- A quantity of thread, yarn, etc., wound on a reel then removed and loosely knotted into an oblong shape; a skein of cotton is formed by eighty turns of thread around a reel with a fifty-four inch diameter.
- The membrane of a fish ovary.
- A tangle, a weave, a web.
- A thin strip of an osier (“long, pliable twig from a plant, usually a willow”) used in basketmaking.
- A metallic strengthening band or thimble on the wooden arm of an axle of a wagon.
- To weave or wind (thread, yarn, etc.) into a skein (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- To intertwine or weave (something) with another thing.
Words that rhyme with skein
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of skein.
Questions about saying skein
How do you pronounce skein?
Say SKAYN. The American pronunciation is /skeɪn/. In British English it is /skeɪn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in skein?
Skein is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SKAYN.
Do Americans and Brits say skein the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /skeɪn/ and the British form is /skeɪn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.