How to pronounce “mother”
Say “mother” in 2 beats
mother
/ˈmʌðɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /mʌðə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- motmʌstress
- herðɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈmʌðɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /mʌðə/
- Respelling
- MU-dhuh
- Syllables
- 2 — MOT-her
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: MOT-her. “mot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈmʌðɚ/
/mʌðə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “mother” means
- noun
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
“the mother of three children”
- noun
a stringy slimy substance consisting of yeast cells and bacteria; forms during fermentation and is added to cider or wine to produce vinegar
- noun
a term of address for an elderly woman
Say it in a sentence
“Her mother taught her how to bake bread from scratch.”The sounds inside this word
Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.
“mother”, answered
How do you pronounce “mother”?
“mother” is pronounced /ˈmʌðɚ/ (MU-dhuh) in American English and /mʌðə/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “mot”. Build it as MOT-her, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “mother” have?
2: mot · her. The beat lands on the first, “mot”.
Is “mother” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈmʌðɚ/ (MU-dhuh); British English says /mʌðə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “mother” mean?
As a noun: a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother) For example: “the mother of three children” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “mother”?
Stress the first syllable: MOT-her. “mot” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “mother” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.