How To Pronounce Bother

bother

Phonemic

/ˈbɒð.ə/

Phonetic

[ˈbʷɒð.əʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈbɑːð.ɚ/

In British English, bother is pronounced /ˈbɒð.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈbʷɒð.əʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈbɑːð.ɚ/.

Bother has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

bɒðə

Bother has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.

bother + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈbɒð.əz/

/ˈbɑːð.ɚz/

bother + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈbɒð.əd/

/ˈbɑːð.ɚd/

bother + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈbɒð.ər.ɪŋ/

/ˈbɑːð.ɚ.ɪŋ/

Questions About Bother

How do you pronounce bother in British English?

In British English, bother is pronounced /ˈbɒð.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈbʷɒð.əʴ].

How do you pronounce bother in American English?

In American English, bother is pronounced /ˈbɑːð.ɚ/.

How many syllables are in bother?

Bother has two syllables, /bɒð/ + /ə/.

Where is the stress in bother?

The main stress is on the first syllable, /bɒð/.

Do British and American English pronounce bother the same way?

No. British English has /ˈbɒð.ə/ and American English has /ˈbɑːð.ɚ/.

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