Pronunciation

How to pronounce “body

“body” is pronounced /ˈbɑdi/ (BAH-dee) in American English and /bɒdi/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bod”.
The sound

Say “body” in 2 beats

Say it like this

body

/ˈbɑdi/

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

2 beats
  1. bodstress
  2. ydi
IPA (American)
/ˈbɑdi/
IPA (British)
/bɒdi/
Respelling
BAH-dee
Syllables
2 — BOD-y
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BOD-y. “bod” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈbɑdi/

British

/bɒdi/

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

Meaning

What “body” means

  1. noun

    the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

    he felt as if his whole body were on fire

  2. noun

    a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity

    the whole body filed out of the auditorium

  3. noun

    a natural object consisting of a dead animal or person

    they found the body in the lake

Say it in a sentence

Regular exercise keeps the whole body healthy and strong.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 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

body”, answered

How do you pronounce “body”?

“body” is pronounced /ˈbɑdi/ (BAH-dee) in American English and /bɒdi/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bod”. Build it as BOD-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “body” have?

2: bod · y. The beat lands on the first, “bod”.

Is “body” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈbɑdi/ (BAH-dee); British English says /bɒdi/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “body” mean?

As a noun: the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being) For example: “he felt as if his whole body were on fire” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “body”?

Stress the first syllable: BOD-y. “bod” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “body” 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.