Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

towel

/ˈtaʊ̯əl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.94 in modern English

Syllables
tow-el
IPA
/ˈtaʊ̯əl/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, such as a person after a bath.

verb

To dry by using a towel.

Transitive verb

verb

To hit with a towel.

Transitive verb

verb

To block up (a door, etc.) with a towel, to conceal the fumes of a recreational drug.

Transitive verb

verb

To beat with a stick, or "oaken towel".

British usage; Obsolete; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English towayle, towel, towail, towaille, from Old French toaille (“towel”) (modern French touaille), Medieval Latin toallia, from Frankish *þwahilu (“cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *þwahaną (“to wash”). Cognate with Old High German dwahila (“towel”) (modern dialectal German Zwehle), Dutch dwaal (“towel”), dweil (“mop”), Low German Dweel (“towel”), Old English þwǣle (“band; ribbon; fillet”), Old English þwēan (“to wash”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: towayle, toaille, toallia, *þwahilu, *þwahaną

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈtaʊ̯əl/
  • British English: /ˈtaʊ̯əl/

Usage

Inflected Forms

towels (plural) towels (present, singular) toweling (US, participle) towelling (UK, participle) toweled (US, participle) toweled (US, past) towelled (UK, participle) towelled (UK, past)

Derived Forms

dishtowel towelette towelhead towelheaded toweling towelless towellike towelry untoweled untowelled

Phrases

bath towel beach towel cum towel cup towel dish towel golf towel hand towel Italy towel

Rhymes With

powell bowel howell vowel mcdowell dowel macdowell fowle kowal howle kowall foul

Questions

How do you pronounce towel?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtaʊ̯əl/.
What does towel mean?
A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, such as a person after a bath.
Where does towel come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce towel

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