3 syllables: Car, i, bou. Stress on Car.
KER-ib-oo
/ˈkɛɹɪˌbu/
Caribou is pronounced KER-ib-oo (/ˈkɛɹɪˌbu/). It has three syllables (Car-i-bou), with the stress on "Car". Caribou is a large Arctic- or subarctic-dwelling deer with a distinctive, often domesticated reindeer-like antlered form in males. The term is commonly used for wild populations in North America and Greenland, and for domesticated variants in Europe. In general usage, it refers to a vehicle in some contexts, but here it means the hoofed mammal, notable for migratory behavior and large antlers.
nounCaribou is a large Arctic- or subarctic-dwelling deer with a distinctive, often domesticated reindeer-like antlered form in males. The term is commonly used for wild populations in North America and Greenland, and for domesticated variants in Europe. In general usage, it refers to a vehicle in some contexts, but here it means the hoofed mammal, notable for migratory behavior and large antlers.
"The caribou herd crossed the tundra in a long, rolling migration."
"Biologists track caribou populations to understand climate impacts on Arctic ecosystems."
"The term caribou is preferred over reindeer in North America for wild populations."
Say CAIR-ih-boo with the primary stress on the first syllable. In IPA for US/UK/AU: ˈkærɪˌbuː. The first syllable uses a short 'a' as in 'cat', the second is a light 'ri' and the final is a long 'boo.' Visualize starting with a crisp /k/ and keep the vowels distinct: /ˈkæ/ /rɪ/ /buː/. Audio references: you can compare with Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries which provide audio; you’ll hear the stress on the first syllable and a long /uː/ at the end.
Two frequent errors: 1) Flattening the second syllable to a quick /ɪ/ or /ɪə/, instead of a clear /ɪ/. 2) Misplacing stress by saying /ˈkærɪbu/ with a weak final /uː/. Correction: keep the primary stress on the first syllable and articulate /ɪ/ in the second syllable clearly before the long /uː/. Practice with the sequence /ˈkærɪbuː/ slowly, then speed up while maintaining vowel quality.
In US/CA, final /uː/ is tense and long; both syllables are relatively short, giving /ˈkærɪbuː/. In UK, you may hear a slightly less rounded final vowel, but still /buː/ with emphasis on the first syllable; non-rhoticity doesn’t affect this word much. Australian speakers typically maintain the /ɜː/-like quality in the middle vowel? Not necessarily; keep /ɪ/ in the middle and /buː/ as a long vowel. Overall, the main difference is vowel rounding and duration, not major consonant changes.
The challenge lies in three attributes: a) a two-consonant onset in the second syllable /rɪ/ that follows the hard /k/ in /ˈkærɪ/; b) a long, rounded final /uː/ that requires lip rounding and jaw relaxation; c) consistent stress placement on the first syllable even in rapid speech. When you combine a short /æ/ with /r/ and a long /uː/, you may create an ambiguous vowel–consonant cluster. With practice, you’ll stabilize the sequence /ˈkærɪbuː/ and keep the vowels distinct.
In careful, careful speech you might hear a longer, more reduced middle vowel depending on speaker pace, but standard pronunciation keeps the middle vowel as a lax /ɪ/ (as in 'kit'), not /iː/. Mispronunciations often extend or reduce this vowel incorrectly; aim for a crisp /ɪ/ in the middle syllable, not a stretched /iː/.
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The word caribou comes from the Mi’kmaq word tka?lipu meaning ‘the one who paws the ground’; later adapted by Algonquian languages and then borrowed into French as caribou, which entered English via French influence in the 17th century. Early English speakers used caribou to describe Greenland reindeer and North American deer alike; by the 19th century, the term had settled into broader Arctic usage for migratory deer. In many Canadian and U.S. contexts, caribou specifically denotes wild Arctic populations, while “reindeer” is reserved for domesticated forms in Europe and some Siberian populations. The term has since become the standard zoological name for these animals in many English-speaking regions and is widely used in wildlife management, ecology, and Indigenous knowledge systems.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Caribou" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Caribou"
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