How to pronounce spoil
Say it like SPOYL. Spoil 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 spoil. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SPOYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Spoil pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SPOYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oy" in boy.
American vs British pronunciation of spoil
American and British speakers say spoil in essentially the same way: /spɔɪl/ in the US and /spɔɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: SPOYL.
What does spoil mean?
- make a mess of, destroy or ruin“I botched the dinner and we had to eat out”“the pianist screwed up the difficult passage in the second movement”
- become unfit for consumption or use“the meat must be eaten before it spoils”
- alter from the original
- (usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in war)“to the victor belong the spoils of the enemy”
- the act of spoiling something by causing damage to it“her spoiling my dress was deliberate”
- the act of stripping and taking by force
Where does spoil come from?
From Middle English spoilen, spuylen, borrowed from Old French espoillier, espollier, espuler, from Latin spoliō, spoliāre (“pillage, ruin, spoil”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with spoil
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of spoil.
Questions about saying spoil
How do you pronounce spoil?
Say SPOYL. The American pronunciation is /spɔɪl/. In British English it is /spɔɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in spoil?
Spoil is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SPOYL.
Do Americans and Brits say spoil the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /spɔɪl/ and the British form is /spɔɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.