Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bossa nova

/ˈbɒsə ˈnəʊvə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.45 in modern English

Syllables: bossa no-va
IPA: /ˈbɒsə ˈnəʊvə/

14

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The music of that dance.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The music of that dance.

Countable; Uncountable

Etymology

From colloquial Brazilian Portuguese bossa (“inclination, propensity, trend”, literally “protuberance”) + nova (“new”). Compare the English expression new wave, or the French nouvelle vague.

Word Breakdown

Root: bossa

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

bossa novas (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce bossa nova?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɒsə ˈnəʊvə/.
What does bossa nova mean?: A lively Brazilian dance that is similar to the samba.
Where does bossa nova come from?: From colloquial Brazilian Portuguese bossa (“inclination, propensity, trend”, literally “protuberance”) + nova (“new”). Compare the English expression new wave, or the French nouvelle vague.

How to pronounce bossa nova

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bossa nova”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɒsə ˈnəʊvə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “bossa nova” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.