How many syllables are in “milk”?

“Milk” has 1 syllable: milk.

What is the IPA for “milk”?

The American English IPA transcription of “milk” is mɪlk.

How can I practice pronouncing “milk”?

Press play to hear “milk” spoken by our AI model, then record yourself on this page to get an instant pronunciation score — your first try needs no account.

American English pronunciation

How to pronounce milk

/mɪlk/milk1 syllable

“milk” rests on a consonant that's easy to swap for a near neighbour. It's a single syllable, and the trick is in the sounds below — hear it, then say it back and let our AI model show you how close you landed.

Say it & get scored

Hear milk, then record yourself and our AI model will score your pronunciation, sound by sound.

The sounds to nail

/m/as in moon
Lips closed, voicing flows through the nose.
/ɪ/as in kit
Short and lax. Keep the tongue lower and more relaxed than 'iy' (sheep).
/l/as in love
Tongue tip at gum ridge. At the end of a syllable ('feel'), the tongue body also pulls back — the dark L.

Trickier for some first languages

The sounds in “milk” are common stumbling blocks for speakers of:

Russian speakers →French speakers →Chinese speakers →

Common questions

How many syllables are in “milk”?: “Milk” has 1 syllable: milk.
What is the IPA for “milk”?: The American English IPA transcription of “milk” is mɪlk.
How can I practice pronouncing “milk”?: Press play to hear “milk” spoken by our AI model, then record yourself on this page to get an instant pronunciation score — your first try needs no account.

Track your progress, free.

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