3 syllables: Em, bon, point. Stress on bon.
em-BON-poynt
/ɛmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/
Embonpoint is pronounced em-BON-poynt (/ɛmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/). It has three syllables (Em-bon-point), with the stress on "bon". Embonpoint is a French noun meaning a well-fed, plump, or robust physical presence. It often conveys a refined, rounded fullness of the body, used in literary or formal contexts. In English usage it can describe a dignified, corpulent silhouette or manner, typically in reference to someone’s physique rather than behavior.
nounEmbonpoint is a French noun meaning a well-fed, plump, or robust physical presence. It often conveys a refined, rounded fullness of the body, used in literary or formal contexts. In English usage it can describe a dignified, corpulent silhouette or manner, typically in reference to someone’s physique rather than behavior.
How to Pronounce Embonpoint
"The portrait celebrated the nobleman’s embonpoint, captured with soft lines and a gentle weight,”"
"She adjusted her dress to flatter her embonpoint during the era’s formal ball."
"The narrator admired the French aristocrat’s embonpoint as a sign of health and prosperity."
/ɛmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/ in US, /ˌɒmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/ in UK, and /ˌæmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/ in Australian usage. Primary stress on the second syllable, with the final -point sounding like 'pwaN' in French-influenced English: /pɔɪnt/. Begin with a short, open 'eh' /e/ into an /m/ nasal, then /ˈbɒn/ with a clear 'on' as in 'on', and end with /pɔɪnt/. Keep lips rounded for /ɔɪ/ and the /ʃ/-like rounding of 'on' toward /ɔɪ/.”,
Common errors: treating -bon- as ‘bon’ rhyming with ‘bone’ (should be /bɒn/ with a shorter, more clipped vowel); misplacing the stress (placing stress on the first syllable). Another mistake is anglicizing -point into a hard English 'point' /pɪnt/ instead of the smoother /pɔɪnt/ diphthong. Correction: emphasize /bɒn/ with a rounded /ɒ/ to connect to the /pɔɪnt/, and keep the final /ɔɪnt/ as a single diphthong, not two syllables. Practice the transition from /m/ to /b/ and from /n/ to /p/ for clean syllable boundaries.
In US, you’ll hear /ɛmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/ with a flat /ɒ/ in many speech patterns and a clear /ɔɪ/ in -point. UK tends to a slightly more clipped /ˌɒmˈbɒnpɔɪnt/ with non-rhotic /r/ absent and potential vowel length differences; Australian often shows a broader /æ/ or /ɒ/ in /ˈæmbɒnpɔɪnt/, with a more open vowel on the first syllable and non-rhoticity. Overall, the core rhotics are subtle; focus on the /ɔɪ/ in -point and the nasal /m/ to /b/ transition, which remains stable across accents.
Challenges center on the rare English sequence of a French-derived word with a mid-front /ɒ/ or /ɒ/ in the first stressed syllable, plus a French-influenced /ɔɪ/ diphthong in -point. The transition from the nasal /m/ to the hard /b/ is fluid, and the /n/ to /p/ boundary requires clean timing to avoid a swallowed consonant or slurring. Also, the final /ɔɪnt/ demands a precise diphthong that many English speakers flatten into /ɔː/ or /aɪ/ unless they mimic careful, educated pronunciation.
Yes — the -mp- cluster in the middle combines a bilabial nasal /m/ followed by a bilabial plosive /p/, creating a quick pause-like boundary if not produced with tight timing. You’ll also notice a distinct rounding of the lips for the /ɔɪ/ component in -point, which helps preserve the word’s French-rooted elegance. Mastery comes from treating the word as three connected units (em-, bon-, point) with controlled breath and precise lip rounding.
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Embonpoint comes from French, literally ‘embon point’—a compound implying a good, well-formed body. The word blends embon- from embonir ‘to fill out, to puff up’ with -point from point ‘point, body’s shape.’ It emerged in French as a formal, perhaps slightly ironic, way to describe someone’s body in a positive, cultivated sense. Early uses appear in 18th- and 19th-century French writings celebrating aristocratic fullness, often in portraits or literary descriptions. In English, embonpoint traveled as a loanword, retaining its French pronunciation and nuanced sense of corpulence paired with elegance. Over time, English usage retained its slightly pretentious nuance, especially in period pieces or high-fashion discourse, marking a refined, substantial physique rather than casual stoutness.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Embonpoint" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Embonpoint"
-int sounds
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