How to pronounce "nobody" in English
ˈnoʊ.bə.di
NOH·bə·dee
Primary stress: NOH
Hear native speakers say nobody in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “nobody”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
NOH
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
bə
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
dee
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("NOH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "nobody" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "nobody is" sounds like "nobody-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "nobody" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“"Nobody's thought of a way to kill people using quantum mechanics."”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“nobody's going to guess it.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Nobody walked. Instead, they stood still, feet planted firmly sideways with people gripping the handrail tightly.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Nobody-- you have an idea because you did some sports at a very high level.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Nobody in particle physics approaches particle physics from a viewpoint other than least action.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Nobody can with a two minute roll costing as much as a two-hour tape.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “nobody”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
"Nobody's thought of a way to kill people using quantum mechanics."
Hear it in context: “nobody”
36,991 clipsThe English word “nobody” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈnoʊ.bə.di (phonetic respelling: NOH-bə-dee). Phonologically, it consists of 3 syllables (NOH · bə · dee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (NOH). Grammatically, “nobody” functions as a pronoun, noun. SayItVid indexes 36,991 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “nobody” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USClip #1 · @15:26
“where Bohr says to his wife, "Nobody's thought of a way to kill people using quantum mechanics." Now, of course, then there's the nuclear bomb. using quantum mechanics."”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #2 · @15:46
“Now there's only one stat that predicts if a coach is an effective coach. And this is so obscure that nobody's going to guess it. It's how much more their players pass under that coach. You're my coach. And suddenly I go from passing 60% of the time to passing 90% of the time. Now the ball gets coach. And suddenly I go from passing 60% of the time to passing 90% of the time. Now the ball gets”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @3:38
“he began to notice a pattern. Nobody walked. Instead, they stood still, feet planted firmly sideways with people gripping the handrail tightly. Instead, they stood still, feet planted firmly sideways”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @21:43
“The amount of pressure they are under, you have no idea. Nobody-- you have an idea because you did some sports at a very high level. at a very high level.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @31:48
“Most of the time, they'll talk about action. Nobody in particle physics approaches particle physics from a viewpoint other than least action. from a viewpoint other than least action.”
Definition & Meaning: “nobody”
- Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.
- A person dismissed as unimportant.
- Something that has no body or an especially small one.
Example Sentences (3)
- “I asked several people, but nobody knew how.”
- ““‘The nobody you once thought me!’ I repeated, and my face grew a little hot; but I would not be angry: of what importance was a school-girl’s crude use of the terms nobody and somebody?””
- “"Nobody's thought of a way to kill people using quantum mechanics." Now, of course, then there's the nuclear bomb.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “nobody”
- Pronunciation:
- NOH-bə-dee
- Syllables:
- NOH · bə · dee
- Written Hyphenation:
- no · bo · dy
- Primary stress:
- NOH
- IPA:
- ˈnoʊ.bə.di
- Hear it in context
- nobody
Synonyms: “nobody”
Hear words related in meaning to “nobody” in real video clips:
Words that Rhyme with “nobody”
-oʊbədiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"nobody" (⁄ˈnoʊ.bə.di⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "nobody" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about nobody
How do you pronounce “nobody”?
“nobody” is pronounced ⁄ˈnoʊ.bə.di⁄ (NOH-bə-dee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “nobody”?
“nobody” has 3 syllables: NOH · bə · dee.
Where is the stress in “nobody”?
The primary stress in “nobody” is on “NOH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “nobody” mean?
Not any person; the logical negation of somebody.
How can I hear “nobody” used in real sentences?
This page has 36991 real-world video examples of “nobody” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “nobody”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).