How To Pronounce Brighten

brighten

Phonemic

/ˈbraɪ.tən/

Phonetic

[ˈbraɪ.tn̩]

Phonemic

/ˈbraɪ.t̯ən/

In British English, brighten is pronounced /ˈbraɪ.tən/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈbraɪ.tn̩]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈbraɪ.t̯ən/.

Brighten 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

braɪtən

Brighten 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.

brighten + -s

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

/ˈbraɪ.tənz/

/ˈbraɪ.t̯ənz/

brighten + -ed

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

/ˈbraɪ.tənd/

/ˈbraɪ.t̯ənd/

brighten + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈbraɪ.tən.ɪŋ/

/ˈbraɪ.t̯ən.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Brighten

Questions About Brighten

How do you pronounce brighten in British English?

In British English, brighten is pronounced /ˈbraɪ.tən/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈbraɪ.tn̩].

How do you pronounce brighten in American English?

In American English, brighten is pronounced /ˈbraɪ.t̯ən/.

How many syllables are in brighten?

Brighten has two syllables, /braɪ/ + /tən/.

Where is the stress in brighten?

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

Do British and American English pronounce brighten the same way?

No. British English has /ˈbraɪ.tən/ and American English has /ˈbraɪ.t̯ən/.

Search All 10,380 Words In The App

Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

Nearby Words

Learn English and Literature with Adroit Tutors on our website, and order course materials there too.