How to pronounce thrill
Say it like THRIL. Thrill 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 thrill. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- THRIL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Thrill pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- THRILSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of thrill
American and British speakers say thrill in essentially the same way: /θrɪl/ in the US and /θrɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: THRIL.
What does thrill mean?
- the swift release of a store of affective force“they got a great bang out of it”“what a boot!”
- an almost pleasurable sensation of fright“a frisson of surprise shot through him”
- something that causes you to experience a sudden intense feeling or sensation“the thrills of space travel”
- cause to be thrilled by some perceptual input“The men were thrilled by a loud whistle blow”
- feel sudden intense sensation or emotion“he was thrilled by the speed and the roar of the engine”
- tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
Where does thrill come from?
From Old English þȳrlian (“to pierce”), derived from þȳrel (“hole”) (archaic English thirl).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with thrill
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of thrill.
Questions about saying thrill
How do you pronounce thrill?
Say THRIL. The American pronunciation is /θrɪl/. In British English it is /θrɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in thrill?
Thrill is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: THRIL.
Do Americans and Brits say thrill the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /θrɪl/ and the British form is /θrɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.