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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

ache

/eɪk/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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What does ache mean?

verb

  1. To suffer pain; to be the source of, or be in, pain, especially continued dull pain; to be distressed.

noun

  1. Continued dull pain, as distinguished from sudden twinges, or spasmodic pain.
  2. Emotional suffering causing discomfort and physical pain.
More meanings (5)

noun

  1. Abbreviation of acetylcholinesterase.
  2. (historical, obsolete) Parsley.
  3. (rare) Rare spelling of aitch.

proper noun

  1. A language spoken by the Yi people of South-Western China.

verb

  1. (literary, rare) To cause someone or something to suffer pain.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/eɪk/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

“Upon my life,” said Troy, through the veil, “holding up this hive makes one’s arm ache worse than a week of sword-exercise.”
Thomas HardyFar from the Madding CrowdProject Gutenberg ebook #27
I tried to go to sleep, but the jolting made me bite my tongue, and I soon began to ache all over.
Willa CatherMy ÁntoniaProject Gutenberg ebook #242
More book examples (3)
It would not ache—it would be well—if only they did not pull it, but it was impossible to get rid of them.
Leo, graf TolstoyWar and PeaceTranslated by Aylmer Maude; Louise MaudeProject Gutenberg ebook #2600
The fact was that we would doze off uncomfortably, to be aroused quickly by some new ache or another call to effort.
Ernest Henry, Sir ShackletonSouth: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition, 1914-1917Project Gutenberg ebook #5199
But just for a moment their eyes met, and, behind all the luster of Ruby’s, Anne saw something that made her heart ache.
L. M. (Lucy Maud) MontgomeryAnne of the IslandProject Gutenberg ebook #51