SPIL-way
/ˈspɪˌlweɪ/
spillway is pronounced SPIL-way (/ˈspɪˌlweɪ/). A spillway is a channel or structure built to safely divert excess water from a dam or levee, preventing upstream flooding. It guides water away from protected areas and typically includes gates or chutes to control discharge. In engineering terms, it provides a controlled pathway for overflow, reducing hydraulic pressure and erosion risk downstream.
A spillway is a channel or structure built to safely divert excess water from a dam or levee, preventing upstream flooding. It guides water away from protected areas and typically includes gates or chutes to control discharge. In engineering terms, it provides a controlled pathway for overflow, reducing hydraulic pressure and erosion risk downstream.
"The dam’s spillway opened to release rainwater after the storm."
"Farm engineers inspected the spillway to ensure it wasn’t clogged."
"During high floods, the spillway operates continuously to maintain reservoir levels."
You say SPIHL-wey, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU ˈspɪlˌweɪ. Start with a short, clipped /sp/ cluster, then /ɪ/ as in 'kit', followed by /l/. The second syllable is /weɪ/ as in 'wey' with a long diphthong. Keep the /l/ light and the /eɪ/ glide clear. A quick audio cue: clip the first syllable and then smoothly glide into a bright /eɪ/ ending.
Common errors: 1) Dropping the /l/ sound (sp‑ay-way) or misplacing the /l/ after the /p/. 2) Turning /weɪ/ into a short /wi/ or /wɪ/ sound. 3) Stressing the second syllable (spiLWAY) or flattening the diphthong /eɪ/. Correction: practice the /sp/ cluster cleanly, pronounce /ɪ/ clearly before /l/, keep the /l/ light, and finish with a distinct /eɪ/ glide. 4) Tensing the tongue too early, creating a run-on; keep a brief stop before the /l/ then release into /weɪ/.
US/UK/AU all share ˈspɪlˌweɪ, with slight variation in rhotics and vowel quality. US speakers often have a more pronounced rhoticity in connected speech, while UK speakers may have a crisper /ɪ/ and slightly shorter /eɪ/ in casual speech. Australian pronunciation tends to be broader with less vowel reduction and a slightly flatter /eɪ/. The /sp/ cluster remains stable; the main variation is the vowel length and the following glide.
The difficulty lies in the tight consonant cluster /sp/ at the start, the light, quick /l/, and the diphthong /eɪ/ after /l/. Coordinating a clean release from /sp/ into /ɪ/ and then /l/ without adding an unintended vowel or blending the /l/ can be tricky. Mastery comes from precise tongue placement: blade of the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /s/ and /l/, and a sharp, unstressed /ɪ/ before /l/. Practicing the transition from a constrained onset to a bright diphthong helps stabilize the word.
Yes. The “l” interacts with the preceding /s/ to form a light, lateral blend; the /ɪ/ is a short vowel before /l/, which can be prone to vowel reduction in rapid speech. The /weɪ/ sequence is a two-part glide: /w/ followed by /eɪ/. Keeping /w/ as a distinct semivowel sound before the diphthong helps clarity, ensuring the /eɪ/ doesn’t become /iː/ or /eɪə/.
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- US: rhotic, slight r-influence in connected speech, keep /sp/ crisp and retroflexion minimal; /ɪ/ is lax but not reduced; /eɪ/ is bright. - UK: crisper /t/ and /d/ may influence nearby vowels; /ɪ/ slightly shorter; /eɪ/ may be slightly more centralized. - AU: broader vowel quality, somewhat flatter /eɪ/, softer /l/ with a tendency to keep vowels less reduced. - IPA anchors: US/UK/AU share IPA for the word, but prosody and vowel length vary; aim for /ˈspɪlˌweɪ/ with a clear /ɪ/ and bright /eɪ/ across accents.
spillway comes from spill + way. Spill traces to Old English spillan ‘to shed or scatter liquid; to cause to overflow,’ related to spillan (to spill) and Germanic roots. The suffix -way is from Old English weg ‘way, path.’ The first use in technical contexts likely dates to 19th century dam engineering as hydrology and flood control matured. The term likely emerged to describe a purpose-built passage that safely conveys surplus water away from a structure. Over time, spillways became standard components of dam design worldwide, with variations including ogee, chute, and crest spillways. The word has remained stable in industrial usage, though its specific design features have evolved with materials (concrete, steel) and control mechanisms (gates, radial valves). The core concept—an intentional water path to relieve excess—has always underpinned the term.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "spillway" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "spillway" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "spillway"
-way sounds
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