To pronounce "basil", say BAS-il — 2 syllables, IPA /ˈbæz.əl/. Tap play below to hear it in four English accents, or practice it syllable by syllable.
basil
Tap to hear · American accent
Accent
If an accent sounds the same, your device is missing that voice — it falls back to the closest one.
Speed
Syllable by syllable — tap each one
Record yourself saying basil, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.
2
Syllables
5
Letters
/ˈbæz.əl/
IPA
"basil" has 2 syllables: bas-il. It rhymes with frazil and dazzle, if that helps it stick.
Sounds exactly like: bazzell, bazzle — easy to mix up when writing.
noun
Real example sentences from Tatoeba (CC-BY) — tap to hear each one, or see it used on YouGlish.
Practicing rhymes trains the same ending sounds.
"Basil" has 2 syllables: bas · il.
The IPA transcription of "basil" is /ˈbæz.əl/.
Basil: A plant (Ocimum basilicum).
Want the definition, translations into 8 languages, and read-aloud for full sentences?
Open “basil” in the full dictionary →