How to pronounce words ending in -ILE

LESSON SUMMARY: -ILE pronounced like "ay-ull": smile while mile pile tile profile exile reptile crocodile compile domicile -ILE pronounced like "ul": agile fertile fragile futile hostile missile sterile versatile volatile How do you know whether the -ILE ending should be pronounced ay-ull or ull? You can’t know – you need to listen to the word in an audio dictionary, or ask a native English speaker. At the beginning of this video, I mentioned that there are a couple of exceptions. Here are two words that end in -ILE, but it’s pronounced “eel”: automobile (another word for car) chamomile – a type of plant with a nice smell, often used to make tea