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How to pronounce "defil" in English

defil is pronounced dɪˈfiːl, with primary stress on the “FEEL” syllable. Hear authentic native speakers pronounce it in 7 clips with synchronized subtitles and timestamps below.

dɪˈfiːl

dih·FEEL

Primary stress: FEEL

Accent:
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Hear native speakers say defil in context across real video clips

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IPAdɪˈfiːl
Saydih-FEEL
Syllablesdih · FEEL
Hear it in contextUS
3:06
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Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “defil”

Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence

dɪˈfiːl

Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution

Syllable 1Unstressed

dih

Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.

Syllable 2Primary Stress

FEEL

Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.

Primary emphasis falls on the second syllable ("FEEL"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.

Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes

⚠️ Unstressed Syllable Vowel Reduction (Schwa ⁄ə⁄)

The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.

How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).

Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow

🔗 Consonant-Vowel Linking (Liaison)

When "defil" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "defil is" sounds like "defil-iz").

⏱️ Stress-Timed Rhythm

In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "defil" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.

Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context

Verified Transcripts
“hospital for claustrum defil a bacterial infection that commonly causes diarrhea after using antibiotics the patients were treated with fecal transplants I. E”
— SciShowWatch clip
“million defil henin and tulips and the climate is so mild that even oranges and”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“um C uh there's been a trial of fecal transplantation for custm defil uh in”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“comedies probably even more defil difficult you know um you have to”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“value his but you you know what we're friends and nothing is going to defil you Dad three men in a car they take me off to wherever can't remember the names”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“them drug resistant clostridium defil which can cause life-threatening diarrhea as well as a drug resistant strain of the bacteria that causes”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
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Practice Speaking “defil”

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IPA:dɪˈfiːl
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hospital for claustrum defil a bacterial infection that commonly causes diarrhea after using antibiotics the patients were treated with fecal transplants I. E

Hear it in context: “defil”

7 clips

The English word “defil” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as dɪˈfiːl (phonetic respelling: dih-FEEL). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (dih · FEEL), with primary lexical stress placed on the 2nd syllable (FEEL). Grammatically, “defil” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 7 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “defil” in natural connected speech across American (US: 7 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from SciShow.

Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)

  • 🇺🇸 USSciShow
    Clip #1 · @3:06
    “medicine followed a large number of patients being treated in a Maryland hospital for claustrum defil a bacterial infection that commonly causes diarrhea after using antibiotics the patients were treated with fecal transplants I. E after using antibiotics the patients were treated with fecal transplants I. E”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #2 · @0:58
    “power the island of Mino is famous for its beautiful flowers it has around 1 million defil henin and tulips and the climate is so mild that even oranges and palm trees grow here the famous Rose Garden boasts 800”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #3 · @26:58
    “often fatal cases of diarrhea um C uh there's been a trial of fecal transplantation for custm defil uh in transplantation for custm defil uh in”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #4 · @12:00
    “making that am I guessing right yeah but it was also tough work I mean uh to make comedies probably even more defil difficult you know um you have to more defil difficult you know um you have to”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #5 · @0:58
    “out race card cuz we know we know you don't value my skin and we knew you do value his but you you know what we're friends and nothing is going to defil you Dad three men in a car they take me off to wherever can't remember the names you Dad three men in a car they take me off to wherever can't remember the names”

Definition & Meaning: “defil”

NOUN
  • A military term referring to a position or feature that offers protection from enemy observation and gunfire.

Example Sentences (3)

  • “The troop movement took advantage of the natural defil to avoid detection.”
  • “hospital for claustrum defil a bacterial infection that commonly causes diarrhea after using antibiotics the patients were treated with fecal transplants I. E”
  • “million defil henin and tulips and the climate is so mild that even oranges and”

Common Phrases & Collocations

defil difficultclostridium defilclaustrum defilmillion defildefil heninclum defil

Pronounce: “defil”

Pronunciation:
dih-FEEL
Syllables:
dih · FEEL
Written Hyphenation:
de · fil
Primary stress:
FEEL
IPA:
dɪˈfiːl
Hear it in context
defil

Words that Rhyme with “defil”

-il
View all 54 rhymes for “defil”

Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)

Unique Sound
Explore 800+ homophone pairs

"defil" (⁄dɪˈfiːl⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "defil" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.

Frequently asked questions about defil

How do you pronounce “defil”?

“defil” is pronounced ⁄dɪˈfiːl⁄ (dih-FEEL). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.

How many syllables are in “defil”?

“defil” has 2 syllables: dih · FEEL.

Where is the stress in “defil”?

The primary stress in “defil” is on “FEEL”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.

What does “defil” mean?

A military term referring to a position or feature that offers protection from enemy observation and gunfire.

How can I hear “defil” used in real sentences?

This page has 7 real-world video examples of “defil” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.

What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “defil”?

Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).