One syllable: bowls.
bohlz
/boʊlz/
bowls is pronounced bohlz (/boʊlz/). It has one syllable (bowls), with the stress on "bowls". Bowls is a plural noun or verb form referring to hollow, rounded containers used for serving or food; as a verb, it means to roll something in a curved path or to shatter like a bowl. The term can also denote a set of dishes used in dining. In most contexts it contrasts with plates or cups and emphasizes curved, bowl-like shapes or actions.
Bowls is a plural noun or verb form referring to hollow, rounded containers used for serving or food; as a verb, it means to roll something in a curved path or to shatter like a bowl. The term can also denote a set of dishes used in dining. In most contexts it contrasts with plates or cups and emphasizes curved, bowl-like shapes or actions.
"The bowls on the table were filled with soup and salad."
"She bowls the ball with a smooth, arcing throw."
"The bowls of fruit looked inviting at the buffet."
Bowls is pronounced /boʊlz/ in US and UK inventories (Australian typically /boːlz/). The initial syllable has a long O vowel, a closed diphthong glide to a voiced /l/ onset before the /z/ ending. Your mouth starts with a rounded, relaxed lips for /oʊ/, then your tongue closes toward the alveolar ridge for /l/ and finishes with a voiced sibilant /z/. Emphasize a clean /l/ before the /z/; avoid turning it into bowl without the /z/. Audio references: Cambridge dictionary and Forvo pronunciations align with /boʊlz/.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing it as /boːls/ with a long pure /o/ instead of the diphthong /oʊ/. (2) Dropping the /l/ or making it a dark /ɫ/ before /z/ without clarity. (3) Voicing the /z/ too softly, sounding like /s/. Corrections: use the two-part /oʊ/ glide, ensure the tongue contacts to produce clear /l/ before a full /z/. Finish with a crisp, audible /z/ rather than a voiceless /s/.
US/UK/AU differences center on rhoticity and vowel quality. In the US, /boʊlz/ features a rhotic nucleus with a clear /ɹ/ absence as a separate consonant; in non-rhotic UK variants, the /r/ is not pronounced, but here /z/ remains; Australian tends to be closer to US but with a slightly flatter /oʊ/ and subtle vowel merging. The main difference is vowel length and color; the /l/ and /z/ articulation remains consistent, but the preceding vowel may be shorter in UK RP and more centralized in AU.
The difficulty lies in seamlessly transitioning from the diphthong /oʊ/ to the consonant cluster /lz/. The /l/ demands a precise tongue blade contact with the alveolar ridge, followed quickly by a voiced /z/. Rapid speech can blur the /l/ and reduce voice on the /z/, making it sound like /wos/ or /bols/. Clarity requires keeping the tongue high enough for /l/ and crisp voicing for /z/ even in faster speech.
A word-specific tip: practice the /l/ and /z/ sequence as a quick, single movement—tip the tongue for the /l/ contact, arch the tip slightly toward the alveolar ridge, then immediately bring the vocal cords into voice for /z/. Use a minimal pair like bowls vs. bolts to feel the /l/ plus /z/ vs /t/ or /t/ replacements. This sharpens the end consonant and prevents merging with a /s/ or /z/ alone.
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Bowls derives from Old English bole, bowl, from Proto-Germanic *buln?an, related to Dutch bol en German Bolle, all denoting rounded vessels. The term likely originates from the shape itself, signaling a hollowed-out concave object used to hold liquids or foods. Early uses appear in Old English literature as ‘bolla’ or ‘bolle,’ referring to a rounded dish. Over time, the word evolved to include both the object (container) and the action (to bowl as a verb, meaning to roll). By Middle English, bowl as a noun referred to the vessel, with plural forms regularly adding -s. The verb sense to bowl—roll or strike in a curved path—emerged in sport and general movement, aligning with the object's rounded geometry as a metaphor for curved motion. The spelling standardization progressed through Early Modern English, with ‘bowls’ used consistently to denote multiple bowls or the third-person singular present tense of bowl. In contemporary usage, ‘bowls’ covers both the containers and the verb form, maintaining the inherent curvature both in form and action.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "bowls" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "bowls" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "bowls"
-ols sounds
-als sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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