sayitsayit
Pronunciation

How to pronounce “football”

“football” is pronounced /ˈfʊtˌbɔl/ (FUUT-bawl) in American English and /fʊtbɔːl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “foot”.
The sound

Say “football” in 2 beats

Say it like this

football

/ˈfʊtˌbɔl/

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

2 beats
  1. footfʊtstress
  2. ballbɔl
IPA (American)
/ˈfʊtˌbɔl/
IPA (British)
/fʊtbɔːl/
Respelling
FUUT-bawl
Syllables
2 — FOOT-ball
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FOOT-ball. “foot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfʊtˌbɔl/

British

/fʊtbɔːl/

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

Meaning

What “football” means

  1. noun

    any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal

  2. noun

    the inflated oblong ball used in playing American football

Say it in a sentence

“The kids played football in the park after school.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ffʊshort oottbbɔawll

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

Questions

“football”, answered

How do you pronounce “football”?

“football” is pronounced /ˈfʊtˌbɔl/ (FUUT-bawl) in American English and /fʊtbɔːl/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “foot”. Build it as FOOT-ball, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “football” have?

2: foot · ball. The beat lands on the first, “foot”.

Is “football” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfʊtˌbɔl/ (FUUT-bawl); British English says /fʊtbɔːl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “football” mean?

As a noun: any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal For example: “The kids played football in the park after school.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “football”?

Stress the first syllable: FOOT-ball. “foot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “football” 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 F