Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan. As a proper noun, it refers to the political and cultural center of the country, and is pronounced with two syllables, typically stressed on the first (BA-koo). The term is widely used in geopolitics, travel, and news contexts, and may appear in discussions of regional organizations, sports, and history.
"I’m planning a business trip to Baku next spring."
"The 2019 European Games were held in Baku, Azerbaijan."
"Baku’s Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage site."
"She studied the energy policies of Baku and neighboring regions."
Baku derives from the Azerbaijani name Bakı, which itself originates from the Old Turkic word bakı or Бакы (Bakɯ), historically linked to the city’s role as a fortified trading hub at the crossroads of major caravan routes. The Azerbaijani spelling Bakı reflects phonemic aspiration in Turkic languages, with the stress typically on the first syllable in borrowed usages. The city’s prominence dates back to ancient periods, featuring Persian, Ottoman, and Russian influences across successive medieval and early modern eras. The modern form “Baku” entered Western usage through transliteration by European explorers, diplomats, and media in the 19th and 20th centuries, consolidating as the internationally recognized toponym for the capital after Azerbaijan’s independence in 1991. The etymology mirrors a layered linguistic history: a Turkic root associated with “wind-blown” or “place of wind” theories coexists with the city’s identity as a trading fortress on the Caspian littoral, reinforcing its reputation as a vibrant, cosmopolitan hub. Primary early attestations appear in Persian and Turkish chronicles, with Cyrillic-era Russian transliterations later solidifying the name in international maps and diplomacy.
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Words that rhyme with "Baku"
-aku sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as BAH-koo, with primary stress on the first syllable. In IPA for US/UK/AU: US/UK: /ˈbɑː.ku/; AU: /ˈbæ.kjuː/. Start with a broad open back vowel in the first syllable, then a clear “oo” as in “food” in the second. Keep the second syllable short and unstressed apart from the vowel length. You’ll want a clean, two-beat rhythm: BA-ku.
Common errors include reducing it to a single-syllable “bak” or misplacing the stress as on the second syllable. Some learners blend the second vowel too closely to the first, producing /ˈbæ.kju/ or /ˈbɑ.kju/. Correction: clearly separate BA and KU, maintain the abroad-friendly /ʊ/ or /uː/ in the second vowel, and keep the first syllable with robust vowel quality. Practice with a short pause between syllables and emphasize the first syllable.
In US/UK accents, it’s typically two syllables with stress on the first: /ˈbɑː.ku/ (US) and /ˈbɑː.ku/ (UK). Australian pronunciation often shifts the second vowel toward a shorter /juː/ or /u/ depending on speaker, sometimes sounding like /ˈbæ.kjuː/ or /ˈbɑː.kjuː/. The rhoticity of the accent affects the flow, but the essential sequence BA-KU remains. The main variation is vowel quality and vowel length in the first syllable.
The difficulty lies in producing a stable two-syllable rhythm with distinct vowel qualities in quick speech, and in some dialects the second syllable may be reduced. The first syllable requires a low-to-mid back vowel that can shift depending on accent, while the second syllable uses a high back vowel or close back rounded vowel that may blend with a /j/ in rapid speech. Focus on clear separation and IPA-aligned vowel articulation.
A notable feature is the front-back vowel shift between speakers: many English speakers naturally lengthen the first vowel and center the second vowel, creating a crisp BA-ku with a distinct second vowel. There is also a tendency toward non-rhotic or rhotic variations depending on accent; in rhotic accents you may hear a very subtle /ɹ/ influence before the second syllable in fluent speech, though it’s typically silent in careful enunciation.
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