How to pronounce toil
Say it like TOYL. Toil 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 toil. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TOYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Toil pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TOYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oy" in boy.
American vs British pronunciation of toil
American and British speakers say toil in essentially the same way: /tɔɪl/ in the US and /tɔɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: TOYL.
What does toil mean?
- To labor; work.
- To struggle.
- To work (something); often with out.
- Labour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
- Trouble, strife.
- A net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey.
Where does toil come from?
An alternate etymology derives Middle English toilen, toylen directly from Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to work, labor, till”), from tuyl ("agriculture, labor, toil"; > Modern Dutch tuil (“toil; work”)).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with toil
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of toil.
Questions about saying toil
How do you pronounce toil?
Say TOYL. The American pronunciation is /tɔɪl/. In British English it is /tɔɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in toil?
Toil is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TOYL.
Do Americans and Brits say toil the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tɔɪl/ and the British form is /tɔɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.