Hey there, language enthusiasts! Have you ever found yourself stumbling over the pronunciation of ‘ache‘? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! On this page, we will be diving into the ins and outs of how to nail this tricky word. The ache pronunciation is way easier than pronouncing the ‘ough’ sound. There are less words for starters and only one way to pronounce it.
Get ready to banish those pronunciation woes and say ‘ache’ like a pro!
what is an ‘ache’?
Let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start! So, what actually is an ‘ache’? For those of you that don’t know, I’ll tell you…An ache is that annoying, nagging sensation you get when something just doesn’t feel right in your body. It’s like a dull pain that hangs around, making you wish it would just disappear. Imagine going for a big gym session and the day after (maybe even the next day too), every part of your body is hurting. That is the feeling of an ‘ache’. An ache is often the result of illness or injury.
how to pronounce ache
Now we get to the good part, how we actually pronounce ‘ache’ words. So, it looks like a strange word, but it’s really easy to pronounce. Forget what the word looks like, all you have to remember is that it rhymes with bake, cake and take (eɪk).
All you have to remember is that if the word doesn’t mean a dull continuing pain, it’s not pronounced in this way. There will be more on that later on.
ache words
So, being the kind soul that I am, I thought I’d give you a list of the most common ache words for you to practice with and some examples. Take a look and practice roleplaying situations with a friend (it will also help you remember body parts!).
- aches (third person singular)
example – My stomach aches, I think I ate some dodgy prawns. - ached (past tense)
example – My neck ached all day yesterday, it’s fine today though. - bellyache
example – Toby has a bellyache, so I have to go and collect him from school. - backache
example – Bend your knees when lifting those weights or you’ll have a backache. - earache
example – She’s had an earache for days now, I think I’ll take her to the doctors. - headache
example – He said he has a migraine; I think it’s just a headache from too many beers last night. - heartache
example – Don’t worry, you’ll find another girlfriend, your heartache won’t last long. - jaw ache
example – I think my jaw ache is from eating too many chewy sweets. - neckache
example – Olivia still has a neckache from falling off her horse. - shoulder ache
example – He’s too big to be sitting on your shoulders, you’ll get shoulder ache. - stomach ache
example – I feel dizzy and have a stomach ache, I hope I haven’t caught something. - toothache
example – Toothache has to be the worst pain in the world. - tummy ache
example – Don’t eat the whole bag of sweets at once, you’ll get a tummy ache.
other ache words
This pronunciation only works for words where `ache` means a dull continuing pain. There are lots of other words that contain ‘ache’ but are pronounced differently. Take a look at a few of them and practice saying them.
- Apache (/əˈpætʃ.i/)
- cache (kæʃ)
- ganache (ɡəˈnæʃ)
- moustache (məˈstɑːʃ)
- teacher (ˈtiː.tʃər)
- sachet (ˈsæʃ.eɪ)
ache pronunciation practice
Practice speaking these sentences:
- When I bake a cake, I get a headache.
- I need to take some paracetamol for my toothache.
- When I drink milkshakes, my stomach aches.
- Jake has a tummy ache.
Have you got the hang of the correct pronunciation yet? Watch these videos and have a sing-a-long. Songs are a great way to improve your English.
Did you enjoy learning to say ache like a native? I thought so… Why not head over to my pronunciation section and see what else you can learn?
