How to pronounce bone
Say it like BOHN. Bone 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 bone. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BOHN
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bone pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BOHNSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of bone
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: BOHN.
What does bone mean?
- rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
- the porous calcified substance from which bones are made
- a shade of white the color of bleached bones
- study intensively, as before an exam“I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam”
- remove the bones from“bone the turkey before roasting it”
- consisting of or made up of bone“a bony substance”“the bony framework of the body”
Where does bone come from?
Cognate with Scots bane, been, bean, bein, bain (“bone”), North Frisian bian, Biin, biinj (“bone; leg”), West Frisian bien (“bone”), Dutch been (“bone; leg”), German Low German Been, Bein (“bone”), German Bein (“leg”), German Gebein (“bones
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with bone
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bone.
Questions about saying bone
How do you pronounce bone?
Say BOHN. The American pronunciation is /boʊn/. In British English it is /bəʊn/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bone?
Bone is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BOHN.
Is bone pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /bəʊn/ (BOHN).