How to pronounce colony
Say it like KOL-uh-nee. Colony has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (KOL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce colony. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KOL
- uh
- nee
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Colony pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KOLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ah" in father.
- uhKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
- neeKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of colony
- The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English.
British respelling: KOL-uh-nee.
What does colony mean?
- a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government“the American colony in Paris”
- a group of organisms of the same type living or growing together
- one of the 13 British colonies that formed the original states of the United States
Where does colony come from?
From Middle English colane, colonye, from Latin colōnia (“colony”), from colōnus (“farmer; colonist”), from colō (“till, cultivate, worship”), from earlier *quelō, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to move; to turn (around)”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying colony
How do you pronounce colony?
Say KOL-uh-nee. The American pronunciation is /ˈkɑləni/. In British English it is /ˈkɒləni/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in colony?
Colony has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (KOL). Broken into parts: KOL · uh · nee.
Is colony pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The short o is rounded in British English (as in "hot"), but open and unrounded in American English. The British form is /ˈkɒləni/ (KOL-uh-nee).