3 syllables: bom, bard, ed. Stress on bard.
bahm-BAHR-did
/bɑˈmbɑɹdɪd/
bombarded is pronounced bahm-BAHR-did (/bɑˈmbɑɹdɪd/). It has three syllables (bom-bard-ed), with the stress on "bard". Bombarded describes being subjected to a rapid and intense stream of questions, criticism, or requests, or to bombard with artillery fire. It conveys a sense of overwhelming pressure or attack, either verbally or physically, often with continuous, repeated exposure over a period of time. The term can apply to media, information, or people inundating someone. It implies sustained, multi-directional impact rather than a single event.
Bombarded describes being subjected to a rapid and intense stream of questions, criticism, or requests, or to bombard with artillery fire. It conveys a sense of overwhelming pressure or attack, either verbally or physically, often with continuous, repeated exposure over a period of time. The term can apply to media, information, or people inundating someone. It implies sustained, multi-directional impact rather than a single event.
- Keep second syllable clearly stressed: many speakers blur bom-BAR-ded into bom-BAR-DED; work on distinct vowel length and a light final /ɪd/. - Don’t rush the final -ed; treat it as a quick /ɪd/ rather than a full syllable, which can cause mis-timing with the rhythm of the sentence. - Avoid three distinct consonant clusters in rapid speech; practice clean /m/ to /b/ transitions and a crisp /d/ closure without voicing carryover. - In connected speech, the /m/ and /b/ can coarticulate; keep lips rounded for the /m/ and then firm to produce /b/ without extra lip movement that lengthens the word. - In fast English, the first vowel can drop to a schwa; train to keep /ɒ/ or /ɒm/ for a stable onset.
"The reporter was bombarded with questions as soon as the press conference began."
"Tourists were bombarded by street vendors offering souvenirs and maps."
"The social media feed was bombarded with notifications after the release."
Break it as bom-BAR-ded with the primary stress on the second syllable. IPA US/UK/AU: /bɒmˈbɑːdɪd/. The first syllable /bɒm/ uses a short o as in 'hot,' the second syllable carries a long a vowel /ɑː/ in British and American varieties, and the final /dɪd/ or /dɪd/ should be light and quick. Mouth posture: start with rounded lips for the /bɒm/ onset, then drop jaw for /ˈbɑː/, and finish with a soft /dɪd/. Audio references you can compare: Pronounce, Cambridge dictionary audio, or Forvo.
Common errors include misplacing stress (e.g., bom-BAR-ded with wrong emphasis), and pronouncing the final -ed as /ɪd/ with a separate syllable or as /dəd/ leading to an unnecessarily elongated ending. Another frequent issue is confusing the /bɒ/ onset with /bɒmb/ versus /bɑːmˈbɔː/ due to vowel quality shifting in fast speech. Correction: maintain the two-syllable primary beat with the second syllable clearly stressed: bom-BAR-ded, ensure the /d/ is light and compress the final /ɪd/ into a quick, reduced /ɪd/ sound.
In US, UK, and AU, the primary stress remains on the second syllable (bom-BAR-ded). Vowel quality shifts: US often uses /ɒ/ in /bɒm/ and /ɑː/ in /bɑːd/; UK tends toward /ɒ/ then /ɑː/ similarly but with slightly more open back vowels; AU is similar to UK but with a broader, slightly diphthongal /ɒ/ in the first vowel and a flatter /eɪ/ in some speakers. The final /ɪd/ tends to be reduced in rapid speech. Rhoticity differences do not affect the middle syllable significantly, but the overall vowel length and consonant clarity may vary.
The difficulty centers on the two consonant clusters surrounding the stressed nucleus and the final -ed cluster. You coordinate a strong /b/ onset, a tense /m/ in the first syllable, and then a longer, stressed /bɑː/ nucleus, followed by a succinct /dɪd/ ending. Quick speech can blur the middle vowel and make the /dɪd/ feel like /d/ or /əd/. Practice pausing between syllables, and aim for a crisp /d/ with a fast, light /ɪd/ at the end to maintain rhythm.
A unique point is the vowel quality in the second syllable: the /ɑː/ in many accents remains notably open and long, which contrasts with the shorter /ɒ/ in some rapid US speech. Keeping the /ˈbɑː/ portion prominent without letting it dip toward a schwa is essential. Additionally, ensure the final /dɪd/ is not overemphasized; in natural speech, it is a compact, light ending.
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- US: aim for a shorter /ɒ/ in /bɒm/ with a crisp /ˈbɑː/ in the second syllable; the /ɪd/ ending is lightly touched and very quick. NAS-like rhythm often compresses the first vowel closer to /ɒ/. - UK: typically a more open /ɒ/ in the first syllable and a clear /ɑː/ in the stressed second syllable; watch vowel length and avoid creeping towards /ɒ/ or /ə/ in rapid speech. - AU: tends toward broader, more relaxed vowels; keep /ɒ/ intact but allow slight lengthening on /ɑː/; ensure final /ɪd/ is light, not overly nasal. - Use IPA as primary guide across accents, but listen to native examples for phonetic detail; mimic the mouth shapes and rhythm rather than chasing exact vowel counts.
Bombarded derives from the verb bombard, which itself comes from the French bombarder, from bombarde, referring to a medieval siege weapon (the bombard). The root traces to the Italian bombardare and ultimately the French bombarder, with the original sense tied to bombardment by artillery. The term was extended metaphorically around the 17th–18th centuries to describe an intense, continuous assault of words or information, not just physical cannon fire. By the 19th and 20th centuries, “bombarded” frequently described relentless questioning, demands, or media attention, reflecting the semantic shift from battlefield bombardment to figurative, social, and informational saturation. First known uses appear in military texts and journalism of early modern Europe, gradually adopting civilian metaphor in political and media discourse as press and public scrutiny intensified. The word’s core imagery—continuous, multi-dot attention impacting a target—remains consistent across uses. Today, it commonly appears in contexts ranging from news cycles to online comment sections, describing overwhelming, often repetitive stimuli.
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Words that rhyme with "bombarded"
-ded sounds
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