The -ile endings Americans cut short

1. 1
   fragile/ˈfrædʒəl/

   adjective

   Easy to break or damage.
2. 2
   mobile/ˈmoʊbəl/

   adjective

   Able to move, or be moved around, easily.
3. 3
   missile/ˈmɪsəl/

   noun

   A rocket carrying an explosive, aimed at a target.
4. 4
   hostile/ˈhɑːstəl/

   adjective

   Unfriendly, and looking for a fight.
5. 5
   versatile/ˈvɜːrsətəl/

   adjective

   Good at many different things and able to switch between them with ease.
6. 6
   futile/ˈfjuːtəl/

   adjective

   Leading to no result, however hard you try.
7. 7
   volatile/ˈvɑːlətəl/

   adjective

   Changing often and by a lot.
8. 8
   textile/ˈtekˌstaɪl/

   noun

   Cloth made by weaving or knitting fibers together.
9. 9
   file/faɪl/

   verb

   To hand in a document so it goes onto an official record.
10. 10
    reconcile/ˈrekənˌsaɪl/

    verb

    To make two things fit together without a clash.

The sentences

1. The glass panels are fragile, so pack them well.

2. The units are mobile enough to move between floors.

3. The missile parts need a separate export license.

4. The buyer sounded hostile on that last call.

5. This machine is versatile enough for both product lines.

6. Arguing about the price now feels a bit futile.

7. Shipping costs have been volatile since the spring.

8. Their textile supplier raised prices again this quarter.

9. We can file the paperwork before the deadline.

10. Can you reconcile these numbers with our invoice?

Pronunciation

• fragile/ˈfrædʒəl/

  FRAJ-uhl. The last syllable is a flat "uhl", with no long i.

• mobile/ˈmoʊbəl/

  MOH-buhl. The ending is not "bile".

• missile/ˈmɪsəl/

  MISS-uhl, the same ending as "missal", not "miss-isle".

• hostile/ˈhɑːstəl/

  HOSS-tuhl, so it comes out sounding like "hostel".

• versatile/ˈvɜːrsətəl/

  Three syllables, stress on the first: VUR-suh-tuhl.

• futile/ˈfjuːtəl/

  FYOO-tuhl. The u at the start carries a y sound.

• volatile/ˈvɑːlətəl/

  VAH-luh-tuhl, stress on the first syllable, ending flat.

• textile/ˈtekˌstaɪl/

  This one keeps the full ending: TEK-stile.

• reconcile/ˈrekənˌsaɪl/

  Stress on the first syllable, and the ending stays long: REK-un-sile.

Questions

What do you say if a client sounds annoyed on a call?

You could say 'The buyer sounded hostile on that last call' to describe it.

What does futile mean in a business context?

It means leading to no result however hard you try, as in 'Arguing about the price now feels a bit futile.'

What's the word for something that keeps changing a lot, like shipping costs?

That's volatile, as in 'Shipping costs have been volatile since the spring.'