2 syllables: Driz, zle. Stress on Driz.
DRIZ-uhl
/ˈdɹɪzəl/
Drizzle is pronounced DRIZ-uhl (/ˈdɹɪzəl/). It has two syllables (Driz-zle), with the stress on "Driz". Drizzle is a light, fine rain falling in very small drops, often intermittent. As a noun, it denotes this weather condition or the act of sprinkling a light shower of liquid. It conveys a gentle, delicate drizzle rather than a heavy downpour, and is commonly used in weather reporting and casual describe-the-weather contexts.
nounDrizzle is a light, fine rain falling in very small drops, often intermittent. As a noun, it denotes this weather condition or the act of sprinkling a light shower of liquid. It conveys a gentle, delicate drizzle rather than a heavy downpour, and is commonly used in weather reporting and casual describe-the-weather contexts.
- Common phonetic challenges: (1) Over-sounding the final syllable, turning /əl/ into a clear /əl/; (2) Over-lengthening the first syllable, giving /ˈdrɪːzəl/ instead of a quick /ˈdrɪz.əl/; (3) Isolating the double z too forcefully, making it sound like /ˈdrɪzzəl/ rather than /ˈdrɪz.əl/.
"The forecast calls for a drizzle this afternoon, nothing heavy at all."
"I woke up to a cool mist and a drizzle that barely dampened my coat."
"They wandered under a light drizzle, umbrellas tucked away."
Pronounced /ˈdrɪz.əl/ in US and UK (rhotic and non-rhotic alike). The first syllable has a short, lax “i” as in “kit,” with the vowel lasting a brief but clear duration. The second syllable uses a reduced vowel, similar to a soft “uh” (schwa). Place the tongue high and forward for /ɪ/ in the first syllable, then relax the jaw for /əl/. Start strong on DRIZ, then lightly vowelize the final syllable. Audio reference: typical pronunciation in major dictionaries shows /ˈdrɪz.əl/.
Common errors include elongating the second syllable (drizzle as /ˈdrɪzəl/ with extra vowel length) or pronouncing a full vowel in the final syllable (driz-uhl). Another frequent mistake is merging /dr/ with a tense /ɪ/ leading to a “driz-ull” or “driz-əl” with incorrect syllable weight. To correct: keep the first syllable crisp /ˈdrɪz/ and reduce the second to a quick, unstressed /əl/; avoid a drawn-out vowel or an over-pronounced z. Practice with minimal pairs and tempo control.
In US and UK, the word is /ˈdrɪz.əl/. The main difference lies in rhoticity; US tends to maintain rhotic linking in connected speech, UK often exhibits a slightly lighter rhotic influence. The final /əl/ often reduces toward a schwa with a quick, soft /l/ in many UK forms. Australian English generally follows /ˈdrɪz.əl/ but may have a more centralized vowel in fast speech. Overall, the vowel /ɪ/ and the final /əl/ are the consistent anchors, with subtle vowel quality shifts across regions.
The difficulty comes from balancing a short, clipped /ɪ/ in the first syllable with a light, reduced /əl/ in the second. Many speakers over-emphasize the final vowel or lengthen the first syllable, making it sound like /ˈdrɪzəl/ or /ˈdrɪzəl̩/. The transition from a tense, alveolar /z/ to a light schwa plus an /l/ requires careful tongue positioning and rapid, subtle lip relaxation. Mastery comes from practicing timing, ensuring the syllables meet at a light, quick cadence.
A unique aspect is the subtle resistance between the /z/ and the following schwa that affects the syllable boundary. The first syllable ends with /z/; the second begins with a soft, reduced vowel before the final /l/. The challenge is to avoid voicing the second vowel too strongly, which can cause the word to feel like /ˈdrɪz.ɜːl/ for some speakers. Keeping the second syllable short and unstressed helps maintain the natural rhythm of drizzle in fluid speech.
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- US: rhoticity policy means linking with /r/ sounds in surrounding words; relax the final /əl/ to a quick schwa. - UK: more clipped final /əl/ with less vowel reduction in careful speech; /ˈdrɪz.əl/ but often reduced >> /ˈdrɪz.l/ in casual speech. - AU: broader vowel quality; /ɪ/ somewhat closer to /ɪə/ in some dialects; maintain the same rhythm and reduce the final to /əl/ quickly.
Drizzle originates from the early modern English dialects and is related to the verb drizzle meaning to rain lightly or to pour in small drops. Its lineage traces to Proto-Germanic roots, with cognates in Dutch (druppelen) and German (nieseln brausen) indicating the action of falling in small droplets. The word likely emerged in English as a descriptive noun for weather phenomena featuring light precipitation, distinguishing it from heavier rain. By the 16th to 17th centuries, drizzle appeared in English meteorological and literary contexts to describe gentle rain that is insufficient to saturate surfaces. Over time, drizzle also acquired figurative usage, indicating any light, meager dispersion of liquid or a gentle, quasi-slow process. It remains a practical, everyday term in weather reporting and natural description, carrying connotations of subtlety, delicacy, and quiet, continuous motion.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Drizzle" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Drizzle" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Drizzle"
-zle sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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