2 syllables: spin, dles. Stress on spin.
SPIN-duhlz
/ˈspɪndəlz/
spindles is pronounced SPIN-duhlz (/ˈspɪndəlz/). It has two syllables (spin-dles), with the stress on "spin". Spindles refers to slender, spinning rods or shafts, or to devices that rotate or twist something, such as a mechanism in textiles or machinery. The plural form indicates more than one spindle. In anatomy, spindles can describe spindle-shaped muscles or nerve fibers. The term is used across technical, industrial, and biological contexts with varying specificity.
Spindles refers to slender, spinning rods or shafts, or to devices that rotate or twist something, such as a mechanism in textiles or machinery. The plural form indicates more than one spindle. In anatomy, spindles can describe spindle-shaped muscles or nerve fibers. The term is used across technical, industrial, and biological contexts with varying specificity.
"The antique spinning wheel had multiple wood spindles that turned with each treadle."
"Industrial machines use precision spindles to rotate cutting tools at high speeds."
"The electrophysiologist examined spindle-shaped neurons in the spinal cord."
You say SPIN-duhlz, with primary stress on SPIN. The initial sp- combines /s/ and /p/ with a short, lax /ɪ/ vowel. The second syllable is /dəlz/ or /dz/ depending on accent; in careful speech you’ll hear a light /əl/ vowel before the final /z/. IPA: US/UK/AU: /ˈspɪn.dəlz/ or /ˈspɪnd.əlz/? Commonly /ˈspɪn.dəlz/. Audio reference: consult Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries for an audio example.”,
Common errors: misplacing stress (spinDLES instead of SPIN-dles), pronouncing as a single syllable (spindles as one beat) or pronouncing the second syllable as /-silz/ rather than /-dəlz/. Correction: maintain two distinct syllables with a clear /d/ onset in the second syllable and a voiced /z/ at the end. Practice by isolating /ˈspɪn/ and /dəlz/ with a brief pause, then blend smoothly.”,
In US and UK, you’ll use two syllables with /spɪn/ and /dəlz/, with final /z/. US tends toward a flapped or clear /d/ depending on pace, UK often emphasizes non-rhoticity with less vowel length difference, AU similar to US but can have slightly longer vowels in cautious speech. Overall rhotics are present in US and AU; UK may be non-rhotic in some accents, but ‘spindles’ ends with a clear /z/ in most varieties.”,
Because it blends consonant clusters /sp/ followed by /n/ and /d/, settling the /əl/ vowel before the final /z/. The /ɪ/ in the first syllable is short and quick, which can blur under fast speech. People also sometimes devoice the final /z/ or mispronounce the /d/ as /t/. Focus on the crisp /d/ and the light, unstressed /əl/ before final /z/.”
In isolation, you should clearly pronounce both syllables with even timing: SPIN-dəlz. The second syllable often reduces to a quick schwa, /dəl/ or /dəlz/; ensure the /d/ is a true stop rather than a nasal before the final /z/. Use a light lifting of the tongue for /ɫ/ in the second syllable if you’re careful, especially in American speech.”
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Spindle comes from Middle English spindel, related to older forms in Old English spynedl or spindel, from Proto-Germanic *spindan- or *spinnan- meaning to twist or spin. The root connotes a rod around which thread or material is wound, or something that turns. The plural form spindles follows standard English noun pluralization with -es in borrowed or specialized terms. Historically, the word evolved from a simple tool name in textile and woodworking to a broader mechanical term for any rotating axis or shaft used to twist, wind, or rotate materials. In textile contexts, spindles were central to spinning fibers into yarn, while in machinery they describe short rotating elements that drive movement or alignment. First known uses trace to medieval European weaving and spinning traditions, with surviving texts referencing spindles in guild manuals and equipment inventories. Over centuries, the concept expanded to anatomy and electronics in metaphorical uses (spindle-shaped structures, spindle apparatus in cell division), consistently retaining the core idea of rotation around a central axis.
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Words that rhyme with "spindles"
-les sounds
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