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How to pronounce "brother" in English

brother is pronounced ˈbrʌðər, with primary stress on the “BRUH” syllable. Hear authentic native speakers pronounce it in 18,410 clips with synchronized subtitles and timestamps below.

ˈbrʌðər

BRUH·dhər

Primary stress: BRUH

Accent:
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IPAˈbrʌðər
SayBRUH-dhər
SyllablesBRUH · dhər
Hear it in contextUS
28:55
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Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “brother”

Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence

ˈbrʌðər

Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution

Syllable 1Primary Stress

BRUH

Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.

Syllable 2Unstressed

dhər

Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.

Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("BRUH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.

Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes

⚠️ Voiced Dental Fricative ⁄ð⁄

The Trap: Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d".

How Native Speakers Say It: Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Vibrate your vocal cords while pushing air through to produce ⁄ð⁄.

Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow

🔗 Consonant-Vowel Linking (Liaison)

When "brother" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "brother is" sounds like "brother-iz").

⏱️ Stress-Timed Rhythm

In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "brother" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.

Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context

Verified Transcripts
“brother's circus and I'm still a little run you know and uh I'm sitting in a passenger seat”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“brother kind of is off and on talking to him, but he has two kids that don't”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“brother, and it's the first time in my career where I see that speculation can kill the”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“brother, you will. The moment where I started to, you know, really understand the blackmail angle”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“brother worked at the Blue Bottle kiosk on Linden Street, when that was all they had.”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“brother because he wanted validation and once he saw me smile and Nod at him he”
— Native SpeakerWatch clip
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IPA:ˈbrʌðər
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Target Phrase:

brother's circus and I'm still a little run you know and uh I'm sitting in a passenger seat

Hear it in context: “brother”

18,410 clips

The English word “brother” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈbrʌðər (phonetic respelling: BRUH-dhər). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (BRUH · dhər), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (BRUH). Grammatically, “brother” functions as a noun, verb, interjection and acts as an English heteronym where syllable stress shifts between noun (initial-syllable stress) and verb (second-syllable stress) usage. SayItVid indexes 18,410 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “brother” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents.

Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)

  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #1 · @28:55
    “Square Garden to see the Ringling brother's circus and I'm still a little run you know and uh I'm sitting in a passenger seat run you know”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #2 · @10:56
    “kids. Two son, three Well, my little brother kind of is off and on talking to him, but he has two kids that don't him, but he has two kids that don't”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #3 · @22:44
    “partner, with his brother, and it's the first time in my career where I see that speculation can kill the where I see that speculation can”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #4 · @28:21
    “will you will you say such and such? And brother, you will. The moment where I started to, you know, really understand the blackmail angle started to, you know, really understand”
  • 🇺🇸 US
    Clip #5 · @33:22
    “Stumptown, Intelligentsia-- Ryan, my business partner's brother worked at the Blue Bottle kiosk on Linden Street, when that was all they had. when that was all they had.”

Definition & Meaning: “brother”

Audio
NOUN
  • Son of the same parents as another person.
  • A male having at least one parent in common with another person (see half-brother, stepbrother).
VERB
  • To treat as a brother.
INTERJECTION
  • Expressing exasperation.

Example Sentences (3)

  • “It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.”
  • “Seest thou not we are overreached, and that our proposed mode of communicating with our friends without has been disconcerted by this same motley gentleman thou art so fond to brother?”
  • “brother's circus and I'm still a little run you know and uh I'm sitting in a passenger seat”

Common Phrases & Collocations

ringling brotherbrother workedlittle brother

Pronounce: “brother”

Pronunciation:
BRUH-dhər
Syllables:
BRUH · dhər
Written Hyphenation:
broth · er
Primary stress:
BRUH
IPA:
ˈbrʌðər
Hear it in context
brother

Words that Rhyme with “brother”

-ʌðər
View all 1 rhymes for “brother”

Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)

Unique Sound
Explore 800+ homophone pairs

"brother" (⁄ˈbrʌðər⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "brother" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.

Frequently asked questions about brother

How do you pronounce “brother”?

“brother” is pronounced ⁄ˈbrʌðər⁄ (BRUH-dhər). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.

How many syllables are in “brother”?

“brother” has 2 syllables: BRUH · dhər.

Where is the stress in “brother”?

The primary stress in “brother” is on “BRUH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.

What does “brother” mean?

Son of the same parents as another person.

How can I hear “brother” used in real sentences?

This page has 18410 real-world video examples of “brother” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.

What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “brother”?

Many learners substitute "th" with "s", "z", "t", or "d". Place the flat blade of your tongue lightly between your upper and lower incisors. Vibrate your vocal cords while pushing air through to produce ⁄ð⁄.