How To Pronounce Had better
had better
In British English, had better is pronounced /hədˈbet.ə/ or /ədˈbet.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [həd̚ˈbet.əʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /hədˈbet.ɚ/.
Had better has three syllables, and the main stress falls on the second 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
Had better has three syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the second syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is oOo, where O is the stressed syllable.
Questions About Had better
How do you pronounce had better in British English?
In British English, had better is pronounced /hədˈbet.ə/ or /ədˈbet.ə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [həd̚ˈbet.əʴ].
How do you pronounce had better in American English?
In American English, had better is pronounced /hədˈbet.ɚ/.
How many syllables are in had better?
Had better has three syllables, /həd/ + /bet/ + /ə/.
Where is the stress in had better?
The main stress is on the second syllable, /bet/.
Do British and American English pronounce had better the same way?
No. British English has /hədˈbet.ə/ and American English has /hədˈbet.ɚ/.
Other Words With The Stress Pattern oOo
Nearby Words
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