How to pronounce brother in American English

IPA /ˈbrʌðər/ Syllables 2 · bruh·dher Stress 1st syllable

BRUH·dher

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Americans pronounce brother as BRUH-dher (/ˈbrʌðər/). The R is one continuous sound with the vowel — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch BRUH — keep everything else short and quick.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.

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Why it sounds different

Why "brother" sounds like BRUH·dher.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, the way sentences stop sounding like a list and start sounding like speech. It comes out as BRUH·dher.

In real conversation

Hear "brother" in the wild.

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"Brother, wonder over yonder by the river."

BRUH·dher WUHN·der OH·ver YAHN·der bahy dhuh RIH·ver

"Her brother drives a bright red car."

her BRUH·dher DRAHYVZ uh BRAHYT REHD KAR

"Her brother drives a dark green car."

her BRUH·dher DRAHYVZ uh DARK GREEN KAR

"His brother is in the same class as me."

hihz BRUH·dher ihz ihn dhuh SAYM KLAS uhz mee

"My brother broke the new vase."

mahy BRUH·dher BROHK dhuh noo VAYS

"My brother has three thick books about the weather."

mahy BRUH·dher huhz THREE THIHK BUUKS uh·BOWT dhuh WEH·dher

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch BRUH — keep everything else short and quick.

bruh·DHER→BRUH·dher

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.

… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

How is "brother" stressed in American English?

Stress falls on the first syllable — say "BRUH" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "BRUH-dher" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.

How do I pronounce the R in "brother"?

Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.

Is the American pronunciation of "brother" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "BRUH-dher" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Why "brother" sounds like BRUH·dher.

Hear "brother" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Stressing the wrong syllable.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

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