How to pronounce stain
Say it like STAYN. Stain 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 stain. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- STAYN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Stain pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- STAYNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of stain
American and British speakers say stain in essentially the same way: /steɪn/ in the US and /steɪn/ in the UK.
British respelling: STAYN.
What does stain mean?
- a soiled or discolored appearance“the wine left a dark stain”
- (microscopy) a dye or other coloring material that is used in microscopy to make structures visible
- the state of being covered with unclean things
- color with a liquid dye or tint“Stain this table a beautiful walnut color”“people knew how to stain glass a beautiful blue in the middle ages”
- produce or leave stains“Red wine stains the table cloth”
- make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically“The silver was tarnished by the long exposure to the air”“Her reputation was sullied after the affair with a married man”
Where does stain come from?
In some senses, influenced by unrelated Middle English disteynen (“to discolor, remove the color from"; literally, "de-color”), from Anglo-Norman desteindre (“to remove the color from, bleach”), from Old French destaindre (“to remove the
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with stain
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of stain.
Questions about saying stain
How do you pronounce stain?
Say STAYN. The American pronunciation is /steɪn/. In British English it is /steɪn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in stain?
Stain is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: STAYN.
Do Americans and Brits say stain the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /steɪn/ and the British form is /steɪn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.