3 syllables: E, bo, la. Stress on bo.
ee-BOH-luh
/iˈboʊlə/
Ebola is pronounced ee-BOH-luh (/iˈboʊlə/). It has three syllables (E-bo-la), with the stress on "bo". Ebola is a proper noun designating a severe, often fatal viral illness and the name of a family of viruses. In common usage it refers to the outbreak-causing virus or to the disease itself, and it is also associated with the geographic region of the Ebola River in Africa. The term is predominantly used in medical, public health, and news contexts.
nounEbola is a proper noun designating a severe, often fatal viral illness and the name of a family of viruses. In common usage it refers to the outbreak-causing virus or to the disease itself, and it is also associated with the geographic region of the Ebola River in Africa. The term is predominantly used in medical, public health, and news contexts.
"The Ebola outbreak prompted international health response and quarantine measures."
"Researchers studied the Ebola virus to understand its transmission and develop vaccines."
"Public health campaigns aim to prevent the spread of Ebola in affected regions."
pronounce it as EE-boh-lah with the primary stress on the first syllable. IPA: US/UK/AU all typically /ˈiː.boʊ.lə/; the middle syllable carries a long o sound, and the final syllable has a schwa-like ending in rapid speech. Start with a clear E as in 'see', move to a long O in 'go', and finish with a light 'la'.
Common errors include treating the middle syllable as a short /o/ as in 'cot' and truncating the final syllable to a quick 'la' without the final schwa. Another error is misplacing the stress on the second syllable. To correct, ensure a strong first syllable with a clear long /i/ and make the final syllable light, ending with /lə/ rather than /lɑ/ or /loʊ/.
In US, UK, and AU, the initial vowel remains long /iː/; differences are subtle. US tends toward a flatter /ˈiː.boʊ.lə/, UK may preserve a slightly tighter /ˈiː.bɒ.lə/ in some speakers, while AU often aligns with US patterns but can feature a more centralized final syllable /lə/. Overall all share the /ˈiː.boʊ.lə/ skeleton with minor vowel quality shifts.
Challenges include distinguishing the long first vowel from a short one and producing the mid vowel /oʊ/ cleanly in the second syllable, plus a light, unstressed final /ə/. Non-native speakers may misplace stress or pronounce /l/ as /lɑ/ or /loʊ/. Practice the sequence E-BO-la with clear separation and a final relaxed schwa to avoid a clipped ending.
The word has three syllables with primary stress on the first; the final syllable carries a weak schwa. Unlike many multi-syllable medical terms, Ebola retains a very clear, open first vowel and a trailing unstressed /lə/. Understanding the exact IPA helps—/ˈiː.boʊ.lə/—and practicing the transition from a long O to a soft, reduced final syllable ensures natural rhythm.
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Ebola originates from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the virus was first identified during an outbreak in 1976. The name was chosen after the nearby river by the scientists who discovered the virus, though the river’s name itself predates modern virology and may derive from precolonial geographic nomenclature. The term Ebola subsequently generalized to refer to the family of filoviruses responsible for severe hemorrhagic fevers. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Ebola became ubiquitous in global health discourse, usually with the definite article “the” as in “the Ebola outbreak.” The root is tied to the river’s name, and there is no deeper linguistic meaning beyond its toponymic origin. The word’s adoption into medicine followed the dramatic outbreaks in 1976, with subsequent expansions to describe the virus species (e.g., Ebola virus) and the disease (Ebola virus disease). First known uses in medical literature coincide with outbreak reports in 1976, and the term has since become a proper noun widely recognized in international health communities.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Ebola" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Ebola"
-low sounds
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