Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bokmål

/ˈboʊk.mɔːl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.62 in modern English

Syllables: bok-mal
IPA: /ˈboʊk.mɔːl/

13

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

One of the two major written standards of Norwegian, literally meaning “book language”.

Example Sentences

"While 85-90% of Norwegians today use Bokmål as their written standard, Nynorsk is only used by about 10-15% of the population. Fosse’s English translator Damion Searls says many Nynorsk speakers see him “as a kind of national hero” for his championing of the language."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵosder.? Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g-der.? Proto-Germanic *bōks Old Norse bók Danish bog Norwegian Bokmål bok Proto-Germanic *maþlą Old Norse mál Norwegian Bokmål mål Norwegian Bokmål bokmålbor. English Bokmål Borrowed from Norwegian bokmål (literally “book language”). The equivalent Old Norse bókamál was used in this sense as a name for Latin, as it was the primary language used for writing of biblical work in much of the Middle Ages. The modern Icelandic name for Norwegian Bokmål is bókmál. When dialect research in western Norway was pioneered by Ivar Aasen in the 1850s, bogmaal took on the meaning of written standard language, as opposed to spoken dialects and Aasen's synthesized landsmaal. The two Norwegian languages, standardized in 1907, changed names in 1929 from landsmål to nynorsk, and from riksmål to bokmål.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈboʊk.mɔːl/

Phrases

Wiktionary’s coverage of Norwegian Bokmål terms

Frequently Paired Words

Wiktionary’s coverage of Norwegian Bokmål terms høgnorsk landsmål nynorsk riksmål samnorsk

Synonyms

Norwegian Bokmål

Questions

How do you pronounce bokmål?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈboʊk.mɔːl/.
What does bokmål mean?: One of the two major written standards of Norwegian, literally meaning “book language”.
Where does bokmål come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵosder.? Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g-der.? Proto-Germanic *bōks Old Norse bók Danish bog Norwegian Bokmål bok Proto-Germanic *maþlą Old Norse mál Norwegian Bokmål mål Norwegian Bokmål bokmålbor. English Bokmål Borrowed from Norwegian bokmål (literally “book language”). The equivalent Old Norse bókamál was used in this sense as a name for Latin, as it was the primary language used for writing of biblical work in much of the Middle Ages. The modern Icelandic name for Norwegian Bokmål is bókmál. When dialect research in western Norway was pioneered by Ivar Aasen in the 1850s, bogmaal took on the meaning of written standard language, as opposed to spoken dialects and Aasen's synthesized landsmaal. The two Norwegian languages, standardized in 1907, changed names in 1929 from landsmål to nynorsk, and from riksmål to bokmål.

How to pronounce bokmål

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bokmål”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈboʊk.mɔːl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bokmål”.
Repeat and practice — Say “bokmål” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.