Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bayou

/ˈbaɪ.(j)uː/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.14 in modern English

Syllables: bay-ou
IPA: /ˈbaɪ.(j)uː/

10

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A slow-moving, often stagnant creek or river.

noun

A swamp; a marshy (stagnant) body of water.

name

Example Sentences

"You natural persons old and young! / You on the Mississippi and on all the branches and bayous of the Mississippi! / You friendly boatmen and mechanics! you roughs!"
"At that time I had no staff officer who could be trusted with that duty. In the woods, at a short distance below the clearing, I found a depression, dry at the time, but which at high water became a slough or bayou."

Etymology

From Louisiana French bayou, from Choctaw bayuk (“a creek”). Doublet of bogue.

Word Breakdown

Root: bayou, bayuk

Inflected Forms

bayous (plural) buyou (alternative, obsolete) byo (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

bayoulike

Phrases

bayou beans Bayou of Pigs bayou physa Bayou State Bayou Teche

Questions

How do you pronounce bayou?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbaɪ.(j)uː/.
What does bayou mean?: A slow-moving, often stagnant creek or river.
Where does bayou come from?: From Louisiana French bayou, from Choctaw bayuk (“a creek”). Doublet of bogue.

How to pronounce bayou

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