English pronunciation · Words Starting with M
Missile Pronunciation
Missile is pronounced MI-suhl, IPA /ˈmɪsəl/.
MI-suhl
US /ˈmɪsəl/ · UK /ˈmɪsaɪl/
Syllables: MI · suhl (2 syllables, stress on syllable 1)
noun: A weapon that is fired or launched at a target, or any object thrown as a weapon.
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Missile in a Sentence
- The missile was intercepted over open water.
- Someone threw a missile from the crowd.
- Missile defence swallowed most of the budget.
Common Mispronunciations of Missile
Not mi-SYL
Neither accent stresses the ending. The beat is on MI in both Britain and America; only the second vowel differs.
Not MY-suhl
The first vowel is the short i of miss, which is where the word begins. The eye sound belongs at the end in British usage, not at the start.
Tip: Americans rhyme the ending with fossil, MI-suhl, while Britons say MI-syl with the vowel of file.
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