How to pronounce “rather”
Say “rather” in 2 beats
rather
/ˈɹæðɚ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /ɹɑːðə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- ratɹæstress
- herðɚ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈɹæðɚ/
- IPA (British)
- /ɹɑːðə/
- Also accepted
- /ˈɹʌðɚ/
- Respelling
- RA-dhuh
- Syllables
- 2 — RAT-her
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: RAT-her. “rat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈɹæðɚ/
/ɹɑːðə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “rather” means
- adverb
on the contrary
“rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left”
- adverb
to some (great or small) extent
“it was rather cold”
- adverb
more readily or willingly
“clean it well, preferably with warm water”
Say it in a sentence
“She would rather walk than wait for the bus.”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.
“rather”, answered
How do you pronounce “rather”?
“rather” is pronounced /ˈɹæðɚ/ (RA-dhuh) in American English and /ɹɑːðə/ in British English, and /ˈɹʌðɚ/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “rat”. Build it as RAT-her, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “rather” have?
2: rat · her. The beat lands on the first, “rat”.
Is “rather” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈɹæðɚ/ (RA-dhuh); British English says /ɹɑːðə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “rather” mean?
As an adverb: on the contrary For example: “rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “rather”?
Stress the first syllable: RAT-her. “rat” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “rather” 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.