How to pronounce well
Say it like WEL. Well 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 well. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WEL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Well pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WELSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of well
American and British speakers say well in essentially the same way: /wɛl/ in the US and /wɛl/ in the UK.
British respelling: WEL.
What does well mean?
- (often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (good is a nonstandard dialectal variant for well)“the children behaved well”“a task well done”
- thoroughly or completely; fully; often used as a combining form“The problem is well understood”“she was well informed”
- indicating high probability; in all likelihood“I might well do it”“a mistake that could easily have ended in disaster”
- in good health especially after having suffered illness or injury“appears to be entirely well”“the wound is nearly well”
- resulting favorably“it's a good thing that I wasn't there”“it is good that you stayed”
- wise or advantageous and hence advisable“it would be well to start early”
- a deep hole or shaft dug or drilled to obtain water or oil or gas or brine
- a cavity or vessel used to contain liquid
- an abundant source“she was a well of information”
Where does well come from?
Cognate with Yola vella, waal, wel, well, wull (“well”), Cimbrian boll, bóol (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), German wohl, wol, woll (“well”), Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk vel (“well”), Faroese væl (“well”), Swedi
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with well
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of well.
Questions about saying well
How do you pronounce well?
Say WEL. The American pronunciation is /wɛl/. In British English it is /wɛl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in well?
Well is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WEL.
Do Americans and Brits say well the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /wɛl/ and the British form is /wɛl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.