ship's bells

Questions

What does ship's bells mean?

The strokes on a ship's bell, every half hour, to mark the passage of time. In each of the day's six watches of four hours, one bell marks the end of the first half hour, eight bells marks the end of the watch.

How to pronounce ship's bells

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