Pronunciation

How to pronounce “aplomb

“aplomb” is pronounced /əˈplɑm/ (uh-PLAHM) in American English and /ɐplɒm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “lomb”.
The sound

Say “aplomb” in 2 beats

Say it like this

aplomb

/əˈplɑm/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɐplɒm/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. apə
  2. lombplɑmstress
IPA (American)
/əˈplɑm/
IPA (British)
/ɐplɒm/
Respelling
uh-PLAHM
Syllables
2 — ap-LOMB
Stress
Stress the second syllable: ap-LOMB. “lomb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Legend — spelling and sound part company here
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/əˈplɑm/

British

/ɐplɒm/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “aplomb” means

  1. noun

    great coolness and composure under strain

    keep your cool

Say it in a sentence

She handled the sudden interruption with real aplomb and carried on.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

aplomb”, answered

How do you pronounce “aplomb”?

“aplomb” is pronounced /əˈplɑm/ (uh-PLAHM) in American English and /ɐplɒm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “lomb”. Build it as ap-LOMB, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “aplomb” have?

2: ap · lomb. The beat lands on the second, “lomb”.

Is “aplomb” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /əˈplɑm/ (uh-PLAHM); British English says /ɐplɒm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “aplomb” mean?

As a noun: great coolness and composure under strain For example: “keep your cool”

Where is the stress in “aplomb”?

Stress the second syllable: ap-LOMB. “lomb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “aplomb” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.