sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “bolster”

“bolster” is pronounced /ˈboʊlstɚ/ (BOHL-stuh) in American English and /bəʊlstə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bols”.
The sound

Say “bolster” in 2 beats

Say it like this

bolster

/ˈboʊlstɚ/

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

2 beats
  1. bolsboʊlstress
  2. terstɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈboʊlstɚ/
IPA (British)
/bəʊlstə/
Respelling
BOHL-stuh
Syllables
2 — BOLS-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BOLS-ter. “bols” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈboʊlstɚ/

British

/bəʊlstə/

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

Meaning

What “bolster” means

  1. noun

    a pillow that is often put across a bed underneath the regular pillows

  2. verb

    support and strengthen

    “bolster morale”

  3. verb

    prop up with a pillow or bolster

Say it in a sentence

“She keeps a long bolster across the head of the bed.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
bboʊlong ollssttɚschwa

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

Questions

“bolster”, answered

How do you pronounce “bolster”?

“bolster” is pronounced /ˈboʊlstɚ/ (BOHL-stuh) in American English and /bəʊlstə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bols”. Build it as BOLS-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “bolster” have?

2: bols · ter. The beat lands on the first, “bols”.

Is “bolster” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈboʊlstɚ/ (BOHL-stuh); British English says /bəʊlstə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “bolster” mean?

As a noun: a pillow that is often put across a bed underneath the regular pillows For example: “She keeps a long bolster across the head of the bed.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “bolster”?

Stress the first syllable: BOLS-ter. “bols” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “bolster” 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.

Practise this word freeMore words with B