How to pronounce tale
Say it like TAYL. Tale 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 tale. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TAYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Tale pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TAYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of tale
American and British speakers say tale in essentially the same way: /teɪl/ in the US and /teɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: TAYL.
What does tale mean?
- a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program“his narrative was interesting”“Disney's stories entertain adults as well as children”
- a trivial lie“he told a fib about eating his spinach”“how can I stop my child from telling stories?”
Where does tale come from?
Cognate with West Frisian taal (“speech, language”), Dutch taal (“language, speech”), German Zahl (“number, figure”), Danish tale (“speech”), Icelandic tala (“speech, talk, discourse, number, figure”), Latin dolus (“guile, deceit, fraud”),
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with tale
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of tale.
Words that sound like tale
Questions about saying tale
How do you pronounce tale?
Say TAYL. The American pronunciation is /teɪl/. In British English it is /teɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in tale?
Tale is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TAYL.
Do Americans and Brits say tale the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /teɪl/ and the British form is /teɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as tale?
Tale sounds the same as tail in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.