Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pontoon

/pɒnˈtuːn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.72 in modern English

Syllables: pon-toon
IPA: /pɒnˈtuːn/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A flat-bottomed boat or other floating structure used as a buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage.

noun

A bridge with floating supports.

noun

A box used to raise a sunken vessel.

noun

A float of a seaplane.

noun

A lighter or barge used for loading or unloading ships.

noun

A card game in which the object is to obtain cards whose value adds up to, or nearly to, 21 but not exceed it.

Uncountable

noun

A two-card hand totalling 21 in this game.

Countable

Example Sentences

"Thanks to the previous experience of the chief performers, to careful preparation and rehearsal, and to perfect weather conditions, they watched in breath-bated silence the spectacle of the huge bulk moving without a hitch into position over the temporary pier caps on which it settled as water ballast was admitted to the pontoons."
"Near-synonyms: caisson, camel, sea camel"

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ponton, from Old French ponton, from Latin pontō, pontōnem (“ferryboat”), from pōns (“bridge”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: *pent-, ponton, ponto, -

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Military.

Inflected Forms

pontoons (plural)

Derived Forms

pontooner pontooning tritoon

Phrases

pontoon party twenty-one

Frequently Paired Words

baccarat blackjack twenty-one

Synonyms

pontoon bridge caisson camel sea camel vingt-et-un natural

Rhymes With

soon june afternoon moon tune immune noon cartoon balloon spoon typhoon platoon

Questions

How do you pronounce pontoon?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɒnˈtuːn/.
What does pontoon mean?: A flat-bottomed boat or other floating structure used as a buoyant support for a temporary bridge, dock or landing stage.
Where does pontoon come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce pontoon

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