How to pronounce bruise
Say it like BROOZ. Bruise 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 bruise. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BROOZ
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bruise pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BROOZSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of bruise
American and British speakers say bruise in essentially the same way: /bruz/ in the US and /bruːz/ in the UK.
British respelling: BROOZ.
What does bruise mean?
- A purplish mark on the skin due to leakage of blood from capillaries under the surface that have been damaged by a blow.
- A dark mark on fruit or vegetables caused by a blow to the surface.
- To strike (a person), originally with something flat or heavy, but now specifically in such a way as to discolour the skin without breaking it; to contuse.
- To damage the skin of (fruit or vegetables), in an analogous way.
- Of fruit or vegetables, to gain bruises through being handled roughly.“Bananas bruise easily.”
Where does bruise come from?
Cognate with Scots brizz, German brausen (“to roar; boom; pound”), Old English brosnian (“to crumble, fall apart”), Dutch broos (“brittle”), German Brosame (“crumb”), dialectal Norwegian brøysk (“breakable”), Latin frustum (“bit, scrap”), O
Words that rhyme with bruise
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bruise.
Questions about saying bruise
How do you pronounce bruise?
Say BROOZ. The American pronunciation is /bruz/. In British English it is /bruːz/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bruise?
Bruise is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BROOZ.
Do Americans and Brits say bruise the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bruz/ and the British form is /bruːz/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.