How to pronounce “ball”
Say “ball” in one beat
ball
/bɔl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /bɔːl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ballbɔl
- IPA (American)
- /bɔl/
- IPA (British)
- /bɔːl/
- Respelling
- BAWL
- Syllables
- 1 — ball
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɔl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/bɔl/
/bɔːl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “ball” means
- noun
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
“the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve”
- noun
a solid projectile that is shot by a musket
“they had to carry a ramrod as well as powder and ball”
- noun
an object with a spherical shape
“a ball of fire”
Say it in a sentence
“The dog chased the ball across the muddy field.”“ball”, answered
How do you pronounce “ball”?
“ball” is pronounced /bɔl/ (BAWL) in American English and /bɔːl/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bɔl/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “ball” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bɔl/ — a single beat.
Is “ball” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /bɔl/ (BAWL); British English says /bɔːl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “ball” mean?
As a noun: round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games For example: “the ball travelled 90 mph on his serve” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “ball”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɔl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “ball” 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.