How To Pronounce Elbow

elbow

Phonemic

/ˈel.bəʊ/

Phonetic

[ˈeɫ.bəʊ]

Phonemic

/ˈel.boʊ/

In British English, elbow is pronounced /ˈel.bəʊ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈeɫ.bəʊ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈel.boʊ/.

Elbow has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

elbəʊ

Elbow has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.

elbow + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈel.bəʊz/

/ˈel.boʊz/

elbow + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈel.bəʊd/

/ˈel.boʊd/

elbow + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈel.bəʊ.ɪŋ/

/ˈel.boʊ.ɪŋ/

Questions About Elbow

How do you pronounce elbow in British English?

In British English, elbow is pronounced /ˈel.bəʊ/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈeɫ.bəʊ].

How do you pronounce elbow in American English?

In American English, elbow is pronounced /ˈel.boʊ/.

How many syllables are in elbow?

Elbow has two syllables, /el/ + /bəʊ/.

Where is the stress in elbow?

The main stress is on the first syllable, /el/.

Do British and American English pronounce elbow the same way?

No. British English has /ˈel.bəʊ/ and American English has /ˈel.boʊ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

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