Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ail

/ˈeɪ̯l/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.26 in modern English

Syllables
ail
IPA
/ˈeɪ̯l/
3
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)

Transitive verb

verb

To be ill; to suffer; to be troubled.

Intransitive verb

noun

An ailment; trouble; illness.

Obsolete

adj

Painful; troublesome.

Obsolete

noun

The awn of barley or other types of corn.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English eilen, from Old English eġlan, eġlian (“to trouble, afflict”), from Proto-West Germanic *aglijan, from Proto-Germanic *aglijaną (“to trouble, vex”), cognate with Gothic 𐌰𐌲𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 (agljan, “to distress”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: eilen, eġlan, *aglijan, *aglijaną, eyle, eġle

Usage

Inflected Forms

ails (present, singular) ailing (participle, present) ailed (participle, past) ailed (past) ails (plural) ailer (comparative) more ail (comparative) ailest (superlative) most ail (superlative) ile (alternative)

Derived Forms

ailsome

Synonyms

garlic trouble pain

Homonyms

ale ayel

Rhymes With

sale male scale full-scale mail they'll email jail fail detail trail rail

Questions

How do you pronounce ail?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈeɪ̯l/.
What does ail mean?
To cause to suffer; to trouble, afflict. (Now chiefly in interrogative or indefinite constructions.)
Where does ail come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce ail

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “ail”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈeɪ̯l/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “ail”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “ail” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.