Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

istanbul

/ˈɪ.stɑːn.bʊl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.74 in modern English

Syllables
is-tan-bul
IPA
/ˈɪ.stɑːn.bʊl/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A Turkish city, and the largest European city by population, which was the last capital of the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).

name

A province in Turkey.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Turkish İstanbul, from Ottoman Turkish استانبول (İstanbul), a corruption of Byzantine Greek εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (eis tḕn Pólin, “to the City”), which is how Constantinople was referred to by the local Greeks.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈɪ.stɑːn.bʊl/
  • British English: /ɪ.stænˈbʊl/

Inflected Forms

İstanbul (alternative) Stambul (alternative) Stamboul (alternative)

Derived Forms

Istanbulite

Phrases

second largest city and capital of the Republic of Turkey

Frequently Paired Words

Ankara second largest city and capital of the Republic of Turkey

Synonyms

Byzantium Byzantion Constantinople

Rhymes With

school home-school old-school you'll cool rule pool tool fool abdul stool preschool

Questions

How do you pronounce istanbul?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɪ.stɑːn.bʊl/.
What does istanbul mean?
A Turkish city, and the largest European city by population, which was the last capital of the Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).
Where does istanbul come from?
It is traced to Turkish.

How to pronounce istanbul

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “istanbul”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɪ.stɑːn.bʊl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “istanbul”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “istanbul” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.