How to pronounce balcony
Say it like BAL-kuh-nee. Balcony has three 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 balcony. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BAL
- kuh
- nee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Balcony 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.
- kuhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- neeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of balcony
American and British speakers say balcony in essentially the same way: /ˈbælkəni/ in the US and /ˈbælkəni/ in the UK.
British respelling: BAL-kuh-nee.
What does balcony mean?
- an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
- a platform projecting from the wall of a building and surrounded by a balustrade or railing or parapet
Where does balcony come from?
From Italian balcone (“balcony, floor-length window”), from Old Italian balcone (“scaffold”) from Lombardic *balk, *balko (“beam”), from Proto-Germanic *balkô (“beam”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- (“beam, pile, prop”).
Questions about saying balcony
How do you pronounce balcony?
Say BAL-kuh-nee. The American pronunciation is /ˈbælkəni/. In British English it is /ˈbælkəni/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in balcony?
Balcony has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BAL). Broken into parts: BAL · kuh · nee.
Do Americans and Brits say balcony the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈbælkəni/ and the British form is /ˈbælkəni/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.