How to pronounce body
Say it like BOD-ee. Body has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BOD).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce body. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BOD
- ee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Body pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BODSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
- eeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of body
- The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English.
British respelling: BOD-ee.
What does body mean?
- the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)“he felt as if his whole body were on fire”
- a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity“the whole body filed out of the auditorium”“the student body”
- a natural object consisting of a dead animal or person“they found the body in the lake”
- invest with or as with a body; give body to
Where does body come from?
From Middle English body, bodi, bodiȝ, from Old English bodiġ, bodeġ (“body, trunk, chest, torso, height, stature”), from Proto-West Germanic *bodag (“body, trunk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewdʰ- (“to be awake, observe”).
Words that rhyme with body
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of body.
Questions about saying body
How do you pronounce body?
Say BOD-ee. The American pronunciation is /ˈbɑdi/. In British English it is /ˈbɒdi/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in body?
Body has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BOD). Broken into parts: BOD · ee.
Is body pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English. The British form is /ˈbɒdi/ (BOD-ee).