How to pronounce whale
Say it like WAYL. Whale 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 whale. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- WAYL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Whale pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- WAYLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ay" in day.
American vs British pronunciation of whale
American and British speakers say whale in essentially the same way: /weɪl/ in the US and /weɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: WAYL.
What does whale mean?
- a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
- any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head
- hunt for whales
Where does whale come from?
From Middle English whal, whale, from Old English hwæl (“whale”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (“whale”) (compare German Wal, Swedish val, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hval, Norwegian Nynorsk kval; compare also
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with whale
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of whale.
Words that sound like whale
Questions about saying whale
How do you pronounce whale?
Say WAYL. The American pronunciation is /weɪl/. In British English it is /weɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in whale?
Whale is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: WAYL.
Do Americans and Brits say whale the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /weɪl/ and the British form is /weɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as whale?
Whale sounds the same as wail, wale in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.