How to pronounce booby
Say it like BOO-bee. Booby has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BOO).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce booby. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BOO
- bee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Booby pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BOOSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
- beeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of booby
American and British speakers say booby in essentially the same way: /ˈbubi/ in the US and /ˈbuːbi/ in the UK.
British respelling: BOO-bee.
What does booby mean?
- A stupid person.
- Any of various large tropical seabirds from the genera Sula and Papasula in the family Sulidae, traditionally considered to be stupid.
- In the game of croquet, a ball that has not passed through the first wicket.
- A breast.
- To behave stupidly; to act like a booby.
- To install a booby trap on or at (something); to attack (someone) with a booby trap.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with booby
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of booby.
Questions about saying booby
How do you pronounce booby?
Say BOO-bee. The American pronunciation is /ˈbubi/. In British English it is /ˈbuːbi/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in booby?
Booby has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BOO). Broken into parts: BOO · bee.
Do Americans and Brits say booby the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈbubi/ and the British form is /ˈbuːbi/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.