Pronunciation

How to pronounce “balm

“balm” is pronounced /bɑm/ (BAHM) in American English and /bɑːm/ in British English, and /bɑlm/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “balm” in one beat

Say it like this

balm

/bɑm/

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

1 beat
  1. balmbɑm
IPA (American)
/bɑm/
IPA (British)
/bɑːm/
Also accepted
/bɑlm/
Respelling
BAHM
Syllables
1 — balm
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɑm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/bɑm/

British

/bɑːm/

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

Meaning

What “balm” means

  1. noun

    any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing

  2. noun

    semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation

Say it in a sentence

A little balm on your lips helps in this dry weather.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 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

balm”, answered

How do you pronounce “balm”?

“balm” is pronounced /bɑm/ (BAHM) in American English and /bɑːm/ in British English, and /bɑlm/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /bɑm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “balm” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /bɑm/ — a single beat.

Is “balm” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /bɑm/ (BAHM); British English says /bɑːm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “balm” mean?

As a noun: any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and soothing For example: “A little balm on your lips helps in this dry weather.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “balm”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /bɑm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “balm” 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.