How to pronounce "elles" in English
EL·les
Primary stress: el
Hear native speakers say elles in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “elles”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
EL
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
les
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("EL"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
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
When "elles" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "elles is" sounds like "elles-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "elles" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“festive hour ahead two teams of political brain boxers will battle out to compete for a very exclusive prize we've got Santa Elles labor MP”— Sky NewsWatch clip
Practice Speaking “elles”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
festive hour ahead two teams of political brain boxers will battle out to compete for a very exclusive prize we've got Santa Elles labor MP
Hear it in context: “elles”
1 clipThe English word “elles”. Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (el · les), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (el). Grammatically, “elles” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 1 authentic English video clip demonstrating how native speakers articulate “elles” in natural connected speech across American (US), British (UK: 1 sampled), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Sky News.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (1 Verified Clips)
- 🇬🇧 UKSky NewsClip #1 · @0:06
“hello and welcome to the politics Hub Christmas quiz 2023 we've got a packed festive hour ahead two teams of political brain boxers will battle out to compete for a very exclusive prize we've got Santa Elles labor MP to compete for a very exclusive prize we've got Santa Elles labor MP”
Definition & Meaning: “elles”
- A measure of length. An English ell was 1¼ yards (45 inches or 114 cm), a Scottish ell was about 37 inches (94 cm), a Flemish ell was ¾ yard (27 inches or 69 cm), while certain European ells were less than 50 cm.
Example Sentences (2)
- “At certain times in the ice-mountains of Switzerland there happen cracks which have shewn the great thickness of the ice, as some of these cracks have measured three or four hundred ells deep.”
- “festive hour ahead two teams of political brain boxers will battle out to compete for a very exclusive prize we've got Santa Elles labor MP”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “elles”
- Syllables:
- el · les
- Primary stress:
- el
- Hear it in context
- elles
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"elles" 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, "elles" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about elles
How many syllables are in “elles”?
“elles” has 2 syllables: el · les.
Where is the stress in “elles”?
The primary stress in “elles” is on “EL”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “elles” mean?
A measure of length. An English ell was 1¼ yards (45 inches or 114 cm), a Scottish ell was about 37 inches (94 cm), a Flemish ell was ¾ yard (27 inches or 69 cm), while certain European ells were less than 50 cm.
How can I hear “elles” used in real sentences?
This page has 1 real-world video example of “elles” 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 “elles”?
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⁄).