One syllable: Boost.
boost
/bust/
Boost is pronounced boost (/bust/). It has one syllable (Boost), with the stress on "Boost". Boost (noun): a push upward or forward; a boost can be a lift, an improvement, or an incentive that increases effort or performance. It refers to something that enhances or raises the level of a result, mood, or outcome. In everyday use, it often implies a beneficial stimulus or assistance.
nounBoost (noun): a push upward or forward; a boost can be a lift, an improvement, or an incentive that increases effort or performance. It refers to something that enhances or raises the level of a result, mood, or outcome. In everyday use, it often implies a beneficial stimulus or assistance.
"The gym released a new program to give your energy a boost."
"He gave his team a morale boost before the presentation."
"The sale provided a much-needed boost to store traffic."
Boost is pronounced with a long /uː/ vowel and a voiceless /st/ cluster at the end. IPA: US/UK/AU /buːst/. The stress is on the single syllable: /buːst/. The lips start rounded for the /uː/ and remain rounded through the /s/; the tongue stays high and back, and the final /t/ is a crisp alveolar stop. If you’re easing into it, try: buzz-like vowel, then a clean /st/ closure. Listen for the long vowel before the /st/ and aim for a brief, crisp /t/ release.
Common mistakes: 1) Shortening the vowel to /ʊ/ or /ə/, making it sound like ‘bebst’ or ‘bust.’ Fix: lengthen the /uː/ to a true long vowel, keeping it tense and rounded. 2) Dropping the final /t/ or letting it blend into a stopless end; keep a light but clear /t/ release. 3) Adding an extra syllable by inserting a vowel before the /st/ (e.g., ‘boost-uh’); keep it monosyllabic. Practice with a crisp /buːst/ and avoid vowel schwa insertion. 4) Lip rounding too little through the long vowel; keep subtle rounding for the /uː/ to avoid /bɜst/ or /bɔst/ distortions.
Across US/UK/AU, the core /buːst/ vowel remains a long /uː/. The main differences are in rhoticity and vowel quality: US tends to have a tighter /uː/ with slightly less rounding; UK typically has a rounded, often tenser /uː/ with non-rhotic tendencies in many accents, though /buːst/ remains rhotic-ish in some regions; Australian tends to be a centralized or slightly diphthongized /uː/ with broad mouth opening and swift /st/ release. Overall, you’ll hear the same nucleus /uː/ but with minor diphthongal shifts and stress timing influenced by surrounding consonants.
The difficulty comes from maintaining a clean long /uː/ followed immediately by the /st/ cluster. Many speakers shorten the vowel or insert a vowel before /st/, creating /buːst/ vs /bust/ or /buːəst/. The /t/ release must be precise but not overly aspirated; in rapid speech, the /t/ can be lightly released or almost unreleased, which can obscure the word. Also, keeping lips rounded for the long vowel without over-anticipating the /s/ can challenge non-native speakers when transitioning from other vowels. Practicing with minimal pairs helps stabilize the long vowel and the final cluster.
Boost is characterized by a simple monosyllabic structure with a long vowel nucleus and an alveolar stop + fricative cluster at the end. The timing is crucial: an almost instant transition from the /uː/ to /st/ requires precise tongue blade positioning at the alveolar ridge and a quick, controlled /t/ release. It does not involve a schwa or multiple syllables, so any addition of an extra vowel or mis-timed voicing can disrupt the natural rhythm. Practicing with a ruler to align vowel length and cluster release can help you mirror native timing.
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Boost comes from the archaic sense of ‘tie or bump up the load’ in its early English usage, with roots tracing to the Old Norse word bogs or the Germanic root bih, indicating lifting or supporting. The modern sense of increasing power, energy, or encouragement emerged through the 18th and 19th centuries, overlapping with terms like ‘boost up’ and ‘boosting’ in both colloquial and evaluative contexts. The word’s semantic field broadened to include figurative lifts—economic, social, emotional—culminating in the common contemporary usage of ‘a boost’ as any advantageous increment. In print, it appeared in the early 1700s in technical contexts before becoming a staple in everyday English, especially in business, sports, and marketing language. First known uses often described tangible lifts or supports, but over time the concept extended to intangibles like confidence and morale, maintaining a sense of positive reinforcement and forward momentum.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Boost" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Boost"
-ost sounds
-ast sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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