How to pronounce portmanteau
Say it like port-MAN-toh. Portmanteau has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (MAN).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce portmanteau. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- port
- MAN
- toh
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Portmanteau pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- portKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "aw" in law.
- MANSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- tohKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of portmanteau
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: pawt-MAN-toh.
What does portmanteau mean?
- A large traveling case usually made of leather, and opening into two equal sections.
- A word formed by putting two words together and thereby their meaning.
- A portmanteau film.
- Made by combining two (or more) words, stories, etc., in the manner of a linguistic portmanteau.
- To create a portmanteau word.
Where does portmanteau come from?
The lexical sense (sense 2) was first used figuratively by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871) to describe the words he coined in the poem “Jabberwocky”, based on the concept of two words packed together, similar to a portmanteau (etymology).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with portmanteau
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of portmanteau.
Questions about saying portmanteau
How do you pronounce portmanteau?
Say port-MAN-toh. The American pronunciation is /pɔrtˈmæntoʊ/. In British English it is /pɔːtˈmæntəʊ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in portmanteau?
Portmanteau has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second one (MAN). Broken into parts: port · MAN · toh.
Is portmanteau pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /pɔːtˈmæntəʊ/ (pawt-MAN-toh).