How to pronounce ploy
Say it like PLOY. Ploy 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 ploy. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- PLOY
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Ploy pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- PLOYSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oy" in boy.
American vs British pronunciation of ploy
American and British speakers say ploy in essentially the same way: /plɔɪ/ in the US and /plɔɪ/ in the UK.
British respelling: PLOY.
What does ploy mean?
- A tactic, strategy, or scheme.“The free T-shirt is really a ploy to get you inside to see their sales pitch.”
- To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision.
Where does ploy come from?
Possibly from a shortened form of employ or deploy.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with ploy
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of ploy.
Questions about saying ploy
How do you pronounce ploy?
Say PLOY. The American pronunciation is /plɔɪ/. In British English it is /plɔɪ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in ploy?
Ploy is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: PLOY.
Do Americans and Brits say ploy the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /plɔɪ/ and the British form is /plɔɪ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.