Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tonsil

/ˈtɑn.səl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.35 in modern English

Syllables
ton-sil
IPA
/ˈtɑn.səl/
6
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Ellipsis of palatine tonsil.

noun

Any of various small masses of lymphoid tissues.

Etymology

Borrowed from French tonsille or Latin tonsillae (“the tonsils in the throat”, plural). First attested in the late 16th century,

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈtɑn.səl/
  • British English: /ˈtɒn.sɪl/

Inflected Forms

tonsils (plural)

Derived Forms

tonsillectomy tonsillitis tonsillotomy tonsilotome

Phrases

tonsil hockey tonsil stone tonsil tennis to the tonsils up to the tonsils tonsillo- tonsill-

Frequently Paired Words

tonsillar tonsillo- tonsill-

Synonyms

palatine tonsil faucial tonsil tonsilla

Homonyms

tonsile

Rhymes With

endometrial consul vice-consul proconsul tonsile sponsal

Questions

How do you pronounce tonsil?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɑn.səl/.
What does tonsil mean?
Ellipsis of palatine tonsil.
Where does tonsil come from?
It is traced to Latin. First known use: First attested in the late 16th century.

How to pronounce tonsil

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