How to pronounce sully
Say it like SUHL-ee. Sully has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SUHL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce sully. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SUHL
- ee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Sully pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SUHLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
- eeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of sully
American and British speakers say sully in essentially the same way: /ˈsʌli/ in the US and /ˈsʌli/ in the UK.
British respelling: SUHL-ee.
What does sully mean?
- To soil or stain; to dirty.“He did not wish to sully his hands with gardening.”
- To corrupt or damage.“She tried to sully her rival’s reputation with a suggestive comment.”
- To become soiled or tarnished.
Where does sully come from?
From Middle English sulen, sulien (“to become dirty; to defile, pollute, taint”), from Old English sylian (“to soil, pollute; to sully”), from Proto-West Germanic *sulwōn, *sulwijan (“to make dirty; to sully”), from Proto-Indo-European *sūl
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with sully
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of sully.
Questions about saying sully
How do you pronounce sully?
Say SUHL-ee. The American pronunciation is /ˈsʌli/. In British English it is /ˈsʌli/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in sully?
Sully has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (SUHL). Broken into parts: SUHL · ee.
Do Americans and Brits say sully the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈsʌli/ and the British form is /ˈsʌli/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.