How to pronounce bark
Say it like BARK. Bark is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce bark. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BARK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bark pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BARKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
American vs British pronunciation of bark
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: BAHK.
What does bark mean?
- tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
- a noise resembling the bark of a dog
- a sailing ship with 3 (or more) masts
- speak in an unfriendly tone“She barked into the dictaphone”
- cover with bark
- remove the bark of a tree
Where does bark come from?
Cognate with Icelandic berkja (“to bark, bluster”), Icelandic barki (“throat, windpipe”), dialectal Lithuanian burgė́ti (“to growl, grumble, grouch, quarrel”), Serbo-Croatian brbljati (“to murmur”).
Words that rhyme with bark
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bark.
Questions about saying bark
How do you pronounce bark?
Say BARK. The American pronunciation is /bɑrk/. In British English it is /bɑːk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bark?
Bark is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BARK.
Is bark pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /bɑːk/ (BAHK).