How to pronounce swale
Say it like SWAYL. Swale 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 swale. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SWAYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Swale pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SWAYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of swale
American and British speakers say swale in essentially the same way: /sweɪl/ in the US and /sweɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: SWAYL.
What does swale mean?
- A low tract of moist or marshy land.
- A long narrow and shallow trough between ridges on a beach, running parallel to the coastline.
- A shallow troughlike depression created to carry water during rainstorms or snow melts; a drainage ditch.
- Alternative form of sweal (“melt and waste away, or singe”).
Where does swale come from?
Possibly from Middle English swale (“a shady place, a shadow”), perhaps of North Germanic origin; akin to Old Norse svalr (“cool, fresh”), Icelandic svalir (“a balcony running along a wall”).
Words that rhyme with swale
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of swale.
Questions about saying swale
How do you pronounce swale?
Say SWAYL. The American pronunciation is /sweɪl/. In British English it is /sweɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in swale?
Swale is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SWAYL.
Do Americans and Brits say swale the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /sweɪl/ and the British form is /sweɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.