3 syllables: Gon, do, la. Stress on Gon.
GAHN-duh-luh
/ˈɡɑndələ/
Gondola is pronounced GAHN-duh-luh (/ˈɡɑndələ/). It has three syllables (Gon-do-la), with the stress on "Gon". Gondola is a noun meaning a long, narrow boat propelled with a paddle in shallow waters, or a similarly shaped passenger car on a gondola lift. The term evokes Venetian waterways and urban transit architecture. It signifies a distinctive, slender vessel or carriage, often associated with elegance or specialized transport rather than general boating. Historically, the word also appears in modern cable-lift contexts.
nounGondola is a noun meaning a long, narrow boat propelled with a paddle in shallow waters, or a similarly shaped passenger car on a gondola lift. The term evokes Venetian waterways and urban transit architecture. It signifies a distinctive, slender vessel or carriage, often associated with elegance or specialized transport rather than general boating. Historically, the word also appears in modern cable-lift contexts.
How to Pronounce Gondola
"The gondola glided smoothly along the narrow canal as the sun set."
"She boarded the gondola for a peaceful ride through the city’s old quarter."
"A glass of wine rested on the seat of the gondola as the platform drifted away."
Gondola is pronounced with three syllables: /ɡɒnˈdoʊ.lə/ in most American pronunciation, with the primary stress on the second syllable: don-DO-la. In UK and many other varieties, you can hear /ˈɡɒn.də.lə/ or /ɡɒnˈdə.lə/, with the middle vowel reduced to schwa in rapid speech. For precise guidance, stress the second syllable and maintain a clear /d/ onset on the middle syllable, avoiding blending. If you want a reference, you can listen to Cambridge or Oxford corpus audio; Pronounce and Forvo also offer native samples. Practice: gon-DO-la, with a clean /d/ and a light secondary pause before the final /lə/.
Common errors include pronouncing as 'gon-DO-la' with wrong stress on the first syllable or flattening the middle syllable into a quick /də/ sound. Another frequent issue is slurring the /n/ into the /d/ or mispronouncing the final /lə/ as /la/ without the schwa. Correction tips: emphasize the mid syllable with a clear /ɒ/ or /ɒn/ then a light /də/ and finally a reduced /lə/. Keep the middle /d/ crisp and avoid voicing changes that turn /də/ into /du/. Listening to native samples and mimicking the rhythm helps stabilize the timing.
In US English, you’ll hear /ɡɒnˈdoʊ.lə/ with a tense 'o' in the second syllable and a clear final schwa. UK English often evaluates /ˈɡɒn.də.lə/ with a lighter middle vowel and a weaker, quicker second syllable. Australian tends to resemble US/UK closely, but with slightly more clipped vowels and a non-rhotic feel on the preceding consonant cluster. The key differences are vowel quality in the second syllable and the degree of rhoticity in the preceding consonants. Reference IPA forms align with Cambridge and Oxford pronunciations for UK, and dictionaries like Macquarie or Australian resources for AU variants.
The difficulty stems from the three-syllable structure with a stress shift to the second syllable, plus a mid syllable that requires precise /n/ and /d/ articulation without merging into a single alveolar sound. Learners often flatten the vowel in the second syllable or reduce the final /lə/ too much, turning /lə/ into /lə/ or /laː/. Focus on a crisp /dn/ sequence across syllables and maintain a short, unstressed final /ə/ or /ə/ sound. Practice with slow repetition, minimal pairs, and rhythm exercises to lock the timing.
Yes—watch the transition between the second and third syllables: /doʊ/ in US where the second syllable carries long vowel quality in some variants, while in others the second syllable is reduced more. Ensure the sequence /ɡɒn/ + /ˈdoʊ/ or /ˈdɒn.də/ flows, with the middle consonants clearly separated but not heavily aspirated. Also, practice the final /lə/ as a light, quick schwa rather than a full vowel. Use native audio models as reference and compare with Forvo entries for American, British, and Australian speakers.
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Gondola derives from Italian gondola, which in turn comes from the Latin gondula, a diminutive form of gonga (to boat). In Italian, gondola originally referred to a small boat of Venice, dockside craft that later evolved to a standard long, narrow sail-powered vessel used on the Grand Canal. The word traveled through European languages during medieval and Renaissance periods as Venice's prominence in trade and navigation grew. Early English usage adopted gondola in the 18th century, initially describing Italian boats and later expanding to cable-car passenger cars in the 20th century. By the 19th and 20th centuries, gondola also entered broader idioms for any elongated passenger vehicle, while the modern ski-resort gondola kept the nautical metaphor, emphasizing curved, elongated cabins suspended from cables. First known English references to gondola appeared in travel writings and nautical dictionaries, cementing the term in nautical and tourism contexts. The shift from actual rowing or paddle-powered craft to mechanized lift-based cabins reflects broader technological and recreational changes in transport history.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Gondola" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Gondola"
-ona sounds
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