3 syllables: no, bod, y. Stress on no.
NOH-bah-dee
/ˈnoʊˌbɑˌdi/
nobody is pronounced NOH-bah-dee (/ˈnoʊˌbɑˌdi/). It has three syllables (no-bod-y), with the stress on "no". Nobody is a monosyllabic or disyllabic pronoun/adverb often meaning ‘no person’ or ‘not any person,’ used in informal and formal contexts. In pronunciation, it is typically two syllables in American English (no-buh-dy) or three in careful speech (noh-buh-dee), with the primary stress on the first syllable. Its vowel sounds blend quickly, making the word sound like “nuh-buh-dee” in connected speech.
Nobody is a monosyllabic or disyllabic pronoun/adverb often meaning ‘no person’ or ‘not any person,’ used in informal and formal contexts. In pronunciation, it is typically two syllables in American English (no-buh-dy) or three in careful speech (noh-buh-dee), with the primary stress on the first syllable. Its vowel sounds blend quickly, making the word sound like “nuh-buh-dee” in connected speech.
- You often insert extra vowel or stress the second syllable; keep the first syllable primary and reduce the middle vowel. - Failing to articulate the final /d/ clearly, resulting in a muffled ending; ensure a short, crisp /d/ before the final /i/. - Slurring the vowels into a single long /oʊ/ or /ə/; practice with minimal pairs to preserve two distinct vowels. - Misplaced lip tension: relax lips on the first syllable, then transition to a light smile for /i/; keep jaw steady. - In connected speech, you may drop the second syllable; avoid eliding the /d/ in casual speech; hold the /d/ briefly before the final /i/.
"Nobody knew the answer."
"I asked nobody, and nobody spoke up."
"Nobody wants to be late to the meeting."
In US: /ˈnoʊˌbɒdi/ or /ˈnoʊbɪdi/ depending on vowel of second syllable. Primary stress on the first syllable: NOH. The second syllable starts with a reduced vowel, often /bɒ/ or /bə/. Final 'dy' sounds like /di/ or /di/. Mouth: begin with a neutral open-mid back rounded vowel for 'no,' then a crisp /b/ followed by a light /ɪ/ or /ɒ/ reduced vowel and a clear /d/ plus /i/.
Common errors: (1) Over-articulating the second syllable, turning it into /noʊˈboʊdi/ with a full second vowel; (2) Merging the /d/ and /y/ into a soft /j/ or /di/ as in 'no-bij-ee'; (3) Misplacing stress, saying no-BO-dy. Correction: Keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈnoʊ/ and reduce the middle vowel to a schwa or short /ɪ/ in casual speech, producing /ˈnoʊbədi/ or /ˈnoʊbɪdi/ with a light /d/ and clear final /i/.
US: strong first syllable with /noʊ/; rhoticity not affecting; second syllable often /bədi/ or /bɪdi/. UK: /ˈnəʊˌbədi/ with more centralized /ə/ in the first unstressed syllable; AU: tends toward /ˈnəʊbədi/ with less vocalic distinction in the second syllable. In all, the key differences lie in vowel quality of the first syllable and the treatment of the middle vowel under non-stressed conditions. IPA cues anchor differences: US /ˈnoʊˌbɪdi/ vs UK /ˈnəʊˌbədi/.
The difficulty centers on rapid reduction and linking. In fast speech, the middle vowel may compress into a schwa or be elided, making /ˈnoʊbdi/ sound like /ˈnoʊbdɪ/ or /ˈnoʊbdɪ/. The crux is maintaining the clear onset /noʊ/ while avoiding a heavy afterbeat on the second syllable; the /d/ can be merged with the following vowel, causing a slight palatalization if not careful. Focus on crisp /d/ and consistent final /i/.
No, there are no silent letters in nobody. Each letter represents a sound: N-O-B-O-D-Y. The tricky part is the reduction of the middle vowel and the subtle y-glide at the end; practice by isolating each phoneme and then blending. Rehearse with slow drills: /ˈnoʊ/ + /b/ + /ə/ or /ɪ/ + /di/.
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- US: /ˈnoʊˌbɪdi/ or /ˈnoʊbədi/; rhoticity doesn’t affect; keep a clear /oʊ/ in the first syllable; middle vowel often reduced to /ɪ/ or /ə/. - UK: /ˈnəʊbədi/ with more centralized first weak syllable; expect a shorter second syllable and less pronounced second vowel. - AU: /ˈnəʊbədi/ with less distinctive vowel height; may use a flatter /ɔː/ in some dialects. Vowel inventories: observe /oʊ/ vs /ə/ vs /ɒ/ depending on accent. IPA references: US /ˈnoʊˌbɪdi/; UK /ˈnəʊbədi/; AU /ˈnəʊbədi/.
Nobody derives from Old English na bād wita? or na-bodes? The earliest forms bubbled into Middle English as noy body, then no body, reflecting a semantic split between negation (no) and body (person). The modern form settled as two morphemes: no + body, with the negative determiner modifying a noun. Across history, the phrase expanded from “no person at all” to the idiomatic pronoun/adverb phrase used to indicate anonymity or absence. In many Germanic languages, similar structures exist (kein + person/niemand in German), underscoring a common Indo-European tendency to express negation with a universal quantifier preceding a noun. First known uses in English date to the early medieval period as a literal composition, evolving through Middle English into Modern English by the 16th–17th centuries. The pronunciation stabilized with a two-syllable or three-syllable realization depending on speech tempo and formality, reinforcing stress on the first syllable and a reduced second syllable in casual speech. Today, nobody remains a staple in both spoken and written registers, carrying a flexible sense of emptiness in terms of number or identity of people.
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Words that rhyme with "nobody"
-bby sounds
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