How to pronounce balance
Say it like BAL-uns. Balance has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BAL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce balance. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BAL
- uns
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Balance pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BALSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- unsKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of balance
American and British speakers say balance in essentially the same way: /ˈbæləns/ in the US and /ˈbæləns/ in the UK.
British respelling: BAL-uns.
What does balance mean?
- bring into balance or equilibrium“She has to balance work and her domestic duties”“balance the two weights”
- compute credits and debits of an account
- hold or carry in equilibrium
- a state of equilibrium
- equality between the totals of the credit and debit sides of an account
- harmonious arrangement or relation of parts or elements within a whole (as in a design)“in all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another and a reciprocal balance”
Where does balance come from?
Displaced the word, Old English wǣġ akin to Modern English: wey from Proto-West Germanic *wāgu (“scales; weight”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with balance
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of balance.
Questions about saying balance
How do you pronounce balance?
Say BAL-uns. The American pronunciation is /ˈbæləns/. In British English it is /ˈbæləns/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in balance?
Balance has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BAL). Broken into parts: BAL · uns.
Do Americans and Brits say balance the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈbæləns/ and the British form is /ˈbæləns/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.