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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “better”

“better” is pronounced /ˈbɛtɚ/ (BE-tuh) in American English and /bɛtə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bet”.
The sound

Say “better” in 2 beats

Say it like this

better

/ˈbɛtɚ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /bɛtə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. betbɛstress
  2. tertɚ
IPA (American)
/ˈbɛtɚ/
IPA (British)
/bɛtə/
Respelling
BE-tuh
Syllables
2 — BET-ter
Stress
Stress the first syllable: BET-ter. “bet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈbɛtɚ/

British

/bɛtə/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “better” means

  1. noun

    something superior in quality or condition or effect

    “a change for the better”

  2. noun

    someone who bets

  3. noun

    a superior person having claim to precedence

    “the common man has been kept in his place by his betters”

Say it in a sentence

“The soup tastes much better with a little more salt.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
bbɛshort ettɚschwa

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“better”, answered

How do you pronounce “better”?

“better” is pronounced /ˈbɛtɚ/ (BE-tuh) in American English and /bɛtə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “bet”. Build it as BET-ter, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “better” have?

2: bet · ter. The beat lands on the first, “bet”.

Is “better” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈbɛtɚ/ (BE-tuh); British English says /bɛtə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “better” mean?

As a noun: something superior in quality or condition or effect For example: “a change for the better” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “better”?

Stress the first syllable: BET-ter. “bet” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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