3 syllables: To, bac, co. Stress on bac.
tuh-BAK-oh
/təˈbæˌkoʊ/
Tobacco is pronounced tuh-BAK-oh (/təˈbæˌkoʊ/). It has three syllables (To-bac-co), with the stress on "bac". Tobacco is a plant product whose dried leaves are smoked, chewed, or used for flavoring. As a noun, it refers to the plant itself or the prepared products made from it, such as cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The term commonly appears in discussions of health, history, agriculture, and commerce in everyday language.
nounTobacco is a plant product whose dried leaves are smoked, chewed, or used for flavoring. As a noun, it refers to the plant itself or the prepared products made from it, such as cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The term commonly appears in discussions of health, history, agriculture, and commerce in everyday language.
"He started growing tobacco on his family farm in Virginia."
"The surgeon warned about the risks of tobacco use."
"She bought tobacco in bulk for rolling cigarettes at home."
Tobacco is pronounced tuh-BAC-oh. In IPA for US and UK: /təˈbækoʊ/ in many American pronunciations and /təˈbækoʊ/ or /təˈbækoʊ/ with a bright 'a' in the second syllable; in careful speech you may hear /təˈbæk.oʊ/ with two clear syllables. The primary stress is on the second syllable: to-BAC-o. For many speakers, the final 'o' is a long vowel. In practice, aim for three clear syllables: tuh-bac-oh. Audio resources can help: listen to native speakers on Pronounce and Forvo to match your target accent.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (saying to-BAK-o or TO-bac-o), mispronouncing the middle vowel as a short 'a' in 'bat' or using a flat 'o' instead of the long 'oh' at the end. Some speakers merge the second and third syllables (to-bac-o → to-bac). Correction tips: practice the three-syllable rhythm with a slight secondary stress on the second syllable, ensure the 'a' in the second syllable is /æ/ (as in cat), and finish with a clear /oʊ/ as in go.
In US speech, you’ll hear /təˈbækoʊ/ with a strong /æ/ in the second syllable and a lengthened final /oʊ/. UK speakers commonly use /təˈbæk.əʊ/ or /təˈbeɪ.kəʊ/ depending on regional variation, with a slightly flatter vowel on the final syllable and less rhoticity influence. Australian pronunciation tends to be /təˈbæ.kəʊ/ with broad vowel quality and often a light, clipped first syllable. All share the three-syllable rhythm, but vowel timbre and vowel length shift subtly by region.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable structure with the mid- syllable /æ/ vowel and the final /oʊ/. The sequence /ˈbæk/ or /ˈbæko/ can invite confusion between /æ/ and /a/ as in 'bat' vs 'ba'. Additionally, the elided or reduced first syllable in fast speech can blur the clear onset of /t/ and the onset of /b/. Focus on three distinct nuclei and maintain a strong /oʊ/ at the end to avoid a shortened, mispronounced ending.
A unique feature is the explicit three-syllable structure with a distinct middle vowel /æ/ and the trailing diphthong /oʊ/. In careful speech, you will separate to-BAC-o with clear onset /t/ and /b/, and the middle syllable should not be reduced to a schwa. The primary stress remains on the second syllable, which is often the anchor for the word’s rhythm in connected speech. Paying attention to the middle vowel quality helps prevent common reductions in fast dialogue.
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Tobacco comes from the Spanish tabaco, which spread to English in the 16th century after contact with the Arawak or Taíno peoples in the Caribbean. Early English usage appeared around 1560s in travel and colonial trade accounts. The word’s origin is debated: some scholars connect tabaco to either a Taíno word for the plant or to a French/Spanish misreading of the Caribbean term for smoke; others trace it to a mistaken assumption that the plant’s leaves were used to produce tobacco products. By the late 16th and early 17th centuries, tabacco had entered English with spellings like tabacco, tabac, and tobaccon in various texts, eventually standardizing to tobacco by the 18th century as the commodity grew globally. The term broadened from naming the plant to referring to the products themselves (cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco). The word’s semantic projection shifted with industrialization, regulation, and modern marketing, but the core meaning—leaves used for smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption—remains central. It embodies a cross-cultural exchange of agricultural practice and consumer product, reflecting how a native plant became a global commodity and cultural reference point for health discussions, regulation, and trade.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Tobacco" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Tobacco" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Tobacco"
-cco sounds
-cko sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
