Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tamales

/təmˈɑliz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.56 in modern English

Syllables: tamales
IPA: /təmˈɑliz/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

plural of tamal

noun

plural of tamale

Etymology

From Spanish tamales. As the plural of tamale, partly also regularly formed from tamale + -s.

Origin

Source language: Spanish

Word Breakdown

Root: tamales

Rhymes With

follies somalis trolleys volleys bengalis hollies collies jollies malis balis

Questions

How do you pronounce tamales?: The recorded pronunciation is /təmˈɑliz/.
What does tamales mean?: plural of tamal
Where does tamales come from?: It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce tamales

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