How to pronounce bat
Say it like BAT. Bat 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 bat. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BAT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bat pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BATSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of bat
American and British speakers say bat in essentially the same way: /bæt/ in the US and /bæt/ in the UK.
British respelling: BAT.
What does bat mean?
- nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
- (baseball) a turn trying to get a hit“he was at bat when it happened”“he got four hits in four at-bats”
- a small racket with a long handle used for playing squash
- strike with, or as if with a baseball bat“bat the ball”
- wink briefly“bat one's eyelids”
- have a turn at bat“Jones bats first, followed by Martinez”
Where does bat come from?
Dialectal variant of Middle English bakke, balke, of North Germanic origin (akin to dialectal Swedish natt-batta).
Words that rhyme with bat
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bat.
Questions about saying bat
How do you pronounce bat?
Say BAT. The American pronunciation is /bæt/. In British English it is /bæt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bat?
Bat is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BAT.
Do Americans and Brits say bat the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bæt/ and the British form is /bæt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.