How to pronounce spay
Say it like SPAY. Spay 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 spay. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPAY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Spay pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPAYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of spay
American and British speakers say spay in essentially the same way: /speɪ/ in the US and /speɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPAY.
What does spay mean?
- To destroy or remove the ovaries or uterus (of a female animal) to prevent pregnancy.“We’re having our cat spayed as we don’t want her having kittens.”
- The act of spaying an animal.
- Rare form of spayard.
Where does spay come from?
From Middle English spayen, spaien, from the Anglo-Norman espeier, equivalent to the Old French espeer (“to cut with a sword”), from espee (“sword”), whence the Modern French épée.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with spay
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of spay.
Questions about saying spay
How do you pronounce spay?
Say SPAY. The American pronunciation is /speɪ/. In British English it is /speɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in spay?
Spay is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SPAY.
Do Americans and Brits say spay the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /speɪ/ and the British form is /speɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.