How to pronounce trail
Say it like TRAYL. Trail 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 trail. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TRAYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Trail pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TRAYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of trail
American and British speakers say trail in essentially the same way: /treɪl/ in the US and /treɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: TRAYL.
What does trail mean?
- a track or mark left by something that has passed“there as a trail of blood”“a tear left its trail on her cheek”
- a path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country
- evidence pointing to a possible solution“the police are following a promising lead”“the trail led straight to the perpetrator”
- to lag or linger behind“But in so many other areas we still are dragging”
- go after with the intent to catch“The policeman chased the mugger down the alley”“the dog chased the rabbit”
- move, proceed, or walk draggingly or slowly“John trailed behind his class mates”“The Mercedes trailed behind the horse cart”
Where does trail come from?
From Middle English trailen, from Old French trailler (“to tow; pick up the scent of a quarry”), from Vulgar Latin *tragulāre (“to drag”), from Latin tragula (“dragnet, javelin thrown by a strap”), probably related to Latin trahere (“to pull, drag along”).
Words that rhyme with trail
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of trail.
Questions about saying trail
How do you pronounce trail?
Say TRAYL. The American pronunciation is /treɪl/. In British English it is /treɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in trail?
Trail is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TRAYL.
Do Americans and Brits say trail the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /treɪl/ and the British form is /treɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.