One syllable: bound.
bownd
/baʊnd/
bound is pronounced bownd (/baʊnd/). It has one syllable (bound), with the stress on "bound". Bound has two common meanings: as a verb meaning to leap or spring forward, and as an adjective indicating destined or certain to happen, or restrained. In phonetics here we focus on the verb/noun sense as a monosyllabic word with a short, tense vowel and a final d. The term also appears in phrases like “bound for” or “bound to happen,” where stress stays on the word itself in many contexts.
Bound has two common meanings: as a verb meaning to leap or spring forward, and as an adjective indicating destined or certain to happen, or restrained. In phonetics here we focus on the verb/noun sense as a monosyllabic word with a short, tense vowel and a final d. The term also appears in phrases like “bound for” or “bound to happen,” where stress stays on the word itself in many contexts.
"- The athlete can bound over the low fence with remarkable ease."
"- The book is bound in red leather and kept on the top shelf."
"- Sheep move slowly, then bound forward suddenly."
Pronounce bound as /baʊnd/. It is a single stressed syllable with a diphthong /aʊ/ as in how, followed by the nasal-alveolar stop cluster /nd/. The tongue starts high to mid and moves from /b/ to /aɪ/ glide quickly, then finishes with the voiced /d/. Keep the lips neutral then close with the /d/ release. Visualize a quick bite at the word’s middle. IPA: /baʊnd/.
Common mistakes include mispronouncing the /aʊ/ diphthong as a simple /ɔ/ or /oʊ/ in some accents, or dropping the /d/ at the end, producing /baʊn/. To correct: ensure your jaw drops into the diphthong from /b/ into /aɪ/ then release into a crisp /nd/. Keep your tongue tip touching the alveolar ridge for the final /d/ and avoid voicing the /n/ as a separate segment before /d/.
In US, UK, and AU, /baʊnd/ remains the same core vowels, but rhotics and vowel quality differ. US speakers often have a rhotic pronunciation of surrounding vowels but bound itself stays /baʊnd/. UK tends to crisper /n/ release with less vocalic coloration in surrounding vowels; AU is similar to US but with slightly flattened vowels in some regional varieties. Overall, the nucleus /aɪ/ is central; the main variation is in surrounding consonant clarity and the vowel length of adjacent vowels in connected speech.
The difficulty lies in the diphthong /aɪ/ within a short, monosyllabic frame and the final /nd/ cluster, which require precise tongue movement and timing. Beginners often mismerge /aɪ/ with /a/ or /ɔ/ and misplace the tongue for /d/, giving /baɪnd/ or /baʊn/. The key is to produce a tight onset with /b/, glide into /aɪ/ while preparing for a clean alveolar /n/ plus /d/ release, avoiding an extra syllable or a mute /d/.
Bound is a stress-free, monosyllabic word with strong final consonant release. In contractions or connected speech, you might hear a slightly lighter release if spoken quickly, but the word itself retains a steady, single-syllable stress. When searching or selecting pronunciation resources, use /baʊnd/ with the final alveolar stop clearly released, not just a nasal nasalization.
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Bound derives from Old English bindan, meaning to tie or fasten, reflecting the adjective sense of being tied or constrained. The noun sense of a limitation or a boundary emerges from the general idea of something that confines or bounds. The verb sense of leaping or springing appears in Middle English as bounden or bounden with the sense of leaping; over time, the energetic sense became more common in athletics and movement. The modern dual meaning—‘leap’ and ‘tied/destined’—developed in parallel paths, with idiomatic phrases like bound for (destined for) and bound to (certain to) reinforcing the sense of constraint or direction. First known uses appear in late Old English and early Middle English texts, with later expansion into figurative uses in the 16th–18th centuries as English expanded its descriptive repertoire around motion and obligation.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "bound" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "bound"
-und sounds
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