How to pronounce football
Say it like FUUT-bawl. Football has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FUUT).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce football. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- FUUT
- bawl
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Football pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- FUUTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in book.
- bawlGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
American vs British pronunciation of football
American and British speakers say football in essentially the same way: /ˈfʊtˌbɔl/ in the US and /ˈfʊtˌbɔːl/ in the UK.
British respelling: FUUT-bawl.
What does football mean?
- any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
- the inflated oblong ball used in playing American football
Where does football come from?
From Middle English fotbal, footbal, equivalent to foot + ball, because the ball was primarily manipulated with the feet in early versions of the game (though some modern varieties involve more handling than kicking).
Questions about saying football
How do you pronounce football?
Say FUUT-bawl. The American pronunciation is /ˈfʊtˌbɔl/. In British English it is /ˈfʊtˌbɔːl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in football?
Football has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (FUUT). Broken into parts: FUUT · bawl.
Do Americans and Brits say football the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈfʊtˌbɔl/ and the British form is /ˈfʊtˌbɔːl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.