Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pro bono

/proʊ ˈboʊnoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.36 in modern English

Syllables: pro bono
IPA: /proʊ ˈboʊnoʊ/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Without charging the usual fee; done voluntarily without fee, generally for clients or patients of limited means.

Example Sentences

"The firm currently has about half a dozen pro bono cases at any one time."
"After he retired, he offered representation pro bono from time to time."
"Esther Lardent, chief consultant to the ABA's Post Conviction Death Penalty Representation Project, which has helped recruit pro bono lawyers for death row appeals since 1987, begs to differ. Finding a lawyer to represent a death row inmate has never been easy, Lardent says. And finding one now, she says, will be harder than ever."
"While the media sneerocracy only came round to Oliver because of his pro bono project, the huge number of people buying his books and wheeling their Sainsbury's trolleys in his wake had already responded to his charisma."

Etymology

Abbreviated from Latin prō bonō publicō (“for the public good”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: prō bonō publicō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /proʊ ˈboʊnoʊ/
British English: /prəʊ ˈbəʊnəʊ/

Phrases

low bono

Questions

How do you pronounce pro bono?: The recorded pronunciation is /proʊ ˈboʊnoʊ/.
What does pro bono mean?: Without charging the usual fee; done voluntarily without fee, generally for clients or patients of limited means.
Where does pro bono come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce pro bono

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