/ɹiˈbaʊnd/
Say it backRebound refers to springing back after contact or impact, or a recovery of a situation or condition. It can describe a physical bounce, a return to a previous state, or the quick recovery of someone after a setback. In sports, it denotes the ball’s return after hitting the rim or backboard, while in finance or social terms it can mean a rapid resurgence or comeback.
"The basketball player leaped for the dunk and secured the rebound."
"After the setback, there was a quick rebound in his career."
"The net effect of the policy reform was a rebound in consumer confidence."
Pronounce it as /rɪˈbaʊnd/. The first syllable has a lax, short /ɪ/ as in 'kit', followed by the stressed diphthong /aʊ/ in the second syllable. The final /nd/ is a light nasal with a dental /n/ and a clear /d/. Tip: make the /baʊ/ cluster glide from /b/ to /aʊ/ smoothly, and keep the 'r' non-rhotic in UK English while rhotic accents keep a post-vocalic /ɹ/. Audio references: standard pronunciations on Cambridge/Oxford dictionaries use /rɪˈbaʊnd/.
Common errors: shortening the second syllable to /baʊ/ without the /nd/ release; pronouncing the /r/ with heavy rhoticity in non-rhotic accents causing an intrusive linking; softening the /aʊ/ to a simple /a/ in rapid speech. Correction: clearly articulate the /baʊ/ diphthong, then release into the /nd/ without swallowing the /d/. Practice the transition from /b/ to /aʊ/ to /nd/ in a single, continuous motion for natural timing.
US: /rɪˈbaʊnd/ with rhotic /r/ and a strong /aʊ/ diphthong. UK: /rɪˈbaʊnd/ with non-rhotic /r/ and similar /aʊ/; accent may reduce the /ə/ in the first syllable in fast speech. AU: /rɪˈbaʊnd/ like US but with a slightly flatter intonation and less pronounced /ɒ/ vs /aʊ/ in some speakers; generally retains rhoticity in educated speech.
Because it blends a stressed, high-energy /aʊ/ diphthong with an immediate /nd/ follow-through. The transition from vowel to consonant cluster must stay smooth to avoid a disjointed feel. Additionally, the initial /r/ and the unstressed /ɪ/ can blur in fast speech in some dialects. Focusing on a clean onset for /r/, a crisp /ɪ/ then a precise /aʊ/ glide into /nd/ helps reduce sloppiness.
The key is the combination of a strong stress on the second syllable and a relatively late onset of the /nd/ sound, which requires a precise tongue front-edge contact before the alveolar /n/ and /d/ release. It stands out because many two-syllable words with /aʊ/ end in a single nasal, but /nd/ creates a slightly more explosive closure. Listen for the crisp /nd/ release after the /aʊ/ glide to confirm accuracy.
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The verb rebound originates from the Middle English rebonden or rebownden, from Old French rebondir, from rein-bonder (to bind again) in the sense of springing back. The root is the prefix re- (again) combined with bond or bound, signaling a return to a previous state. The earliest senses related to physical recoil from a collision or strike. As early as Middle English and Early Modern English, the term expanded to cover figurative rebounds—economic, social, or emotional recoveries. By the 19th and 20th centuries, rebound frequented sports jargon (a ball that returns after contact), finance (a market’s quick upswing), and general usage for a rapid return to normalcy. The word’s semantic evolution tracks a consistent core idea: propulsion back toward a previous form after a perturbation. Contemporary usage retains both literal (physical rebound) and metaphorical senses (rebound effect, rebound in popularity). It’s common in American and British English, with similar pronunciation and stress patterns across variants, though subtle voicing and vowel quality shifts exist by dialect. First known use in English appears in the 14th–15th centuries in legal and mechanical contexts, with expansion into everyday language by the 17th century, reinforcing the enduring imagery of elastic return.
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Words that rhyme with "rebound"
-und sounds
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