How to pronounce balloon
Say it like buh-LOON. Balloon has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LOON).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce balloon. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- buh
- LOON
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Balloon pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- buhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- LOONSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of balloon
American and British speakers say balloon in essentially the same way: /bəˈlun/ in the US and /bəˈluːn/ in the UK.
British respelling: buh-LOON.
What does balloon mean?
- large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
- small thin inflatable rubber bag with narrow neck
- ride in a hot-air balloon“He tried to balloon around the earth but storms forced him to land in China”
- become inflated“The sails ballooned”
Where does balloon come from?
First use appears c. 1591, "a game played with a large, inflated leather ball" (possibly via Middle French ballon) from Italian pallone (“large ball”) from palla (“ball”), from Lombardic *palla.
Words that rhyme with balloon
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of balloon.
Questions about saying balloon
How do you pronounce balloon?
Say buh-LOON. The American pronunciation is /bəˈlun/. In British English it is /bəˈluːn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in balloon?
Balloon has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (LOON). Broken into parts: buh · LOON.
Do Americans and Brits say balloon the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bəˈlun/ and the British form is /bəˈluːn/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.