How to pronounce bow
Say it like BOW. Bow is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- BOW
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Tip: Bending forward rhymes with cow. The ribbon or weapon rhymes with go.
Bow pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BOWSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ow" in now.
American vs British pronunciation of bow
American and British speakers say bow in essentially the same way: /baʊ/ in the US and /baʊ/ in the UK.
British respelling: BOW.
Other ways to say bow
Bow also has this pronunciation, usually with a different meaning or use:
- BOH /boʊ/
What does bow mean?
- A weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string, used for shooting arrows.
- A curved bend in a rod or planar surface, or in a linear formation such as a river (see oxbow).
- A rod with horsehair (or an artificial substitute) stretched between the ends, used for playing various stringed musical instruments.
- To play music on (a stringed) instrument using a bow.“The musician bowed his violin expertly.”
- To bend or curve, particularly downward.“The shelf bowed under the weight of the books.”
- To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend or incline, figuratively; to humble or subdue.
- To bend oneself as a gesture of respect or deference.“That singer always bows towards her audience for some reason.”
- To debut.
- To defer (to something).“I bow to your better judgement in the matter.”
Where does bow come from?
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Booge (“arch, bow, curve”), West Frisian bôge (“arc, arch, bow”), Dutch boog (“arc, arch, bow”), German Bogen (“arc, arch, bow, curve”), Luxembourgish Bou (“arc, arch, bow, curve”), Vilamovian böga (“arc, arch
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with bow
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bow.
Words that sound like bow
Questions about saying bow
How do you pronounce bow?
Say BOW. The American pronunciation is /baʊ/. In British English it is /baʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bow?
Bow is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BOW.
Do Americans and Brits say bow the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /baʊ/ and the British form is /baʊ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.
What words sound the same as bow?
Bow sounds the same as bao, bough in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.