Fuel is a noun referring to substances that burn to release energy or heat, such as gasoline or coal, used to power engines or heat systems. It also metaphorically means something that stimulates activity or growth. The term encompasses both physical materials and figurative drive, and is commonly paired with terms like consumption, efficiency, and supply.
"The car ran out of fuel on the highway, so we pulled over to refuel."
"Researchers are exploring alternatives to traditional fossil fuels to reduce emissions."
"The team cited funding as the fuel behind their rapid progress."
"A strong work ethic is the fuel that keeps productivity high."
Fuel originates from the Old French foule or foille, and from the Latin fulare, meaning to boil or to burn. The modern sense emerged in Middle English as a noun for substances that feed or nourish flame, later narrowing more specifically to combustible materials used to power engines and furnaces. Early uses linked fuel to wood and charcoal, evolving through the Industrial Revolution as internal combustion engines demanded kerosene, gasoline, and coal as principal energy sources. The term’s first known English usages appear in 13th- to 14th-century texts describing fires and lighting, but it incrementally acquired market-focused connotations by the 18th and 19th centuries with the rise of steam and oil-based technologies. In contemporary English, fuel spans literal materials used for combustion and metaphorical fuel for ideas, initiatives, and economies, retaining its core sense of providing energy or impetus.
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Words that rhyme with "Fuel"
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Fuel is pronounced as /ˈfjuː.əl/ in US English, with the stress on the first syllable. Start with an initial consonant /f/, then the long high-front rounded vowel /juː/ like 'you', and finish with an /əl/ syllable where the tongue relaxes and the lips are lightly rounded. In careful speech you’ll hear a distinct /l/ at the end. Listen for the two syllables: FOO-uhl, with the first vowel held longer.
Two common errors are: (1) treating /juː/ as a short /u/ sound, yielding 'FEW-əl' or 'FOO-l' instead of the correct /juː/ glide, (2) weakening or omitting the final /l/ in rapid speech, producing /ˈfjuːə/ or /ˈfjuːəl/ without the clear/L. To fix, practice the glide /j/ leading into /uː/, then gently release into a light /əl/ with the tongue tip touching the alveolar ridge to articulate the L clearly.
In US English you typically hear /ˈfjuː.əl/ with a clear rhotic ending if followed by a vowel in connected speech; the /l/ is light but audible. UK English often maintains a similar /ˈfjuː.əl/ but with a possibly shorter first vowel and crisper /l/; rhoticity is less pronounced in non-rhotic UK varieties, affecting adjacent words. Australian English tends to have a slightly more centralized diphthong /ˈfjuː.əl/ with a quicker transition and a softer L, but the overall two-syllable rhythm remains.
The main challenge is the /juː/ diphthong after /f/, which requires blending a consonant-vowel glide smoothly; many learners mispronounce it as /uː/ or /ju/ as separate segments. Additionally, the final /əl/ cluster needs light tongue-tip contact for a clear L without pulling air or adding extra syllables. Practicing the glide into a quick, clean L helps maintain the two-syllable rhythm and prevents fusion into a single syllable.
A distinctive feature is the immediate transition from the /f/ to the /juː/ glide, resulting in the syllabic sequence F + YOU, with the /j/ acting as a bridge. This creates a tight, concise onset followed by a lighter, alveolar L in the coda. Focus on keeping the /j/ soft and passing smoothly into /uː/ and then into /əl/, rather than separating into three hard consonants.
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