How to pronounce bull
Say it like BUUL. Bull 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 bull. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BUUL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bull pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BUULSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in book.
American vs British pronunciation of bull
American and British speakers say bull in essentially the same way: /bʊl/ in the US and /bʊl/ in the UK.
British respelling: BUUL.
What does bull mean?
- uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
- a large and strong and heavyset man“he was a bull of a man”“a thick-skinned bruiser ready to give as good as he got”
- a serious and ludicrous blunder“he made a bad bull of the assignment”
- push or force“He bulled through his demands”
- try to raise the price of stocks through speculative buying
- speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths“The politician was not well prepared for the debate and faked it”
Where does bull come from?
From Middle English bole, bul, bule, from a conflation of Old English bula (“bull, steer”) and Old Norse boli, both from Proto-Germanic *bulô (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰl̥no-, from *bʰel- (“to blow, swell up”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with bull
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bull.
Questions about saying bull
How do you pronounce bull?
Say BUUL. The American pronunciation is /bʊl/. In British English it is /bʊl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bull?
Bull is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BUUL.
Do Americans and Brits say bull the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /bʊl/ and the British form is /bʊl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.