Buoy Has Two Pronunciations on Two Continents
A buoy is a floating marker anchored at sea. British and American speakers say the word quite differently.
A buoy is an anchored float marking a channel, hazard or mooring. The pronunciation splits sharply: British speakers say *boy*, Americans usually say *boo-ee*. Same spelling, same meaning, two words in the ear — and the derived *buoyant* is said the same way on both sides, which makes the split odder still. Buoys are colour-coded by international convention so a navigator knows which side to pass on.
- A floating marker. *A channel buoy.*
- To keep afloat. *Buoyed by the current.*
- To encourage. *Buoyed by the news.*
- Buoyant — able to float. *Buoyant.*
- Middle Dutch — *boeye*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | buoy | A buoy. |
| Plural | buoys | Buoys. |
| Verb | buoy | Buoyed. |
| Adjective | buoyant | Buoyant. |
| Noun | buoyancy | Buoyancy. |
- A red buoy marked the channel.Navigation.
- Buoyed by the result, they pressed on.Figurative.
- Britons say boy, Americans boo-ee.Pronunciation.
Words said differently across the Atlantic
- Buoy — boy in Britain, boo-ee in America
- Schedule — shed-yool and sked-yool
- Herb — the H is sounded in Britain, silent in America
- Aluminium — an extra syllable and a different spelling
- Route — root everywhere in Britain, sometimes rout in America
Middle Dutch *boeye*, a float or fetter, probably from a Germanic root meaning a signal.
How is buoy pronounced?
British speakers say boy. Americans usually say boo-ee. Both are correct in their own varieties.
Why are buoys different colours?
International conventions use colour and shape to tell a navigator which side of the buoy to pass on.