How to pronounce travail
Say it like truh-VAYL. Travail has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (VAYL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce travail. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- truh
- VAYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Travail pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- truhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- VAYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of travail
American and British speakers say travail in essentially the same way: /trəˈveɪl/ in the US and /trəˈveɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: truh-VAYL.
What does travail mean?
- Arduous or painful exertion; excessive labor, suffering, hardship.
- Specifically, the labor of childbirth.
- Alternative form of travois (“a kind of sled”)
- To toil.
- To go through the labor of childbirth.
Where does travail come from?
Inherited from Middle English travail, borrowed from Old French travail (“suffering, torment”), deverbal from travailler, from Vulgar Latin *tripāliāre (“to torment”), from Latin tripālium (“torture device”) + -āre (verb-forming suffix).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with travail
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of travail.
Questions about saying travail
How do you pronounce travail?
Say truh-VAYL. The American pronunciation is /trəˈveɪl/. In British English it is /trəˈveɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in travail?
Travail has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (VAYL). Broken into parts: truh · VAYL.
Do Americans and Brits say travail the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /trəˈveɪl/ and the British form is /trəˈveɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.