Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bitter

/ˈbɪ.tɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.21 in modern English

Syllables
bit-ter
IPA
/ˈbɪ.tɚ/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).

adj

Harsh, piercing, acerbic or stinging.

adj

Hateful or hostile.

adj

Cynical and resentful.

adv

To an intense or severe degree; bitterly.

noun

A liquid or powder, made from bitter herbs, used in mixed drinks or as a tonic.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A type of beer heavily flavored with hops.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A turn of a cable about the bitts.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd-der. Proto-Indo-European *bʰidrós Proto-Germanic *bitraz Proto-West Germanic *bitr Old English biter Middle English bittre English bitter From Middle English bitter, bittre, from Old English bitter, biter (“bitter”), from Proto-West Germanic *bitr, from Proto-Germanic *bitraz (“bitter”), equivalent to bite + -er (agent noun suffix) used attributively. Cognate with Saterland Frisian, West Frisian, Low German, Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish bitter, Icelandic bitur (all meaning “bitter”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbɪ.tɚ/
  • British English: /ˈbɪt.ə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more bitter (comparative) bitterer (comparative) most bitter (superlative) bitterest (superlative) bitters (plural) bitters (present, singular) bittering (participle, present) bittered (participle, past) bittered (past)

Derived Forms

bitterbrush [pl=s bitterbush bittercress bitterful bitterish bitterless bitterling bitterly bittermelon bitterness bitternut

Phrases

bitter African daisy bitter albizia bitter almond bitter aloes bitter apple bitter bark bitter bean bitter bolete

Frequently Paired Words

bitter end bitterness

Synonyms

acrid caustic jaded acerb acerbic bitter bittersome sharp English pale ale EPA

Homonyms

bidder (in some dialects)

Antonyms

optimistic sweet

Rhymes With

twitter litter transmitter glitter hitter sitter fitter ritter emitter splitter critter quitter

Questions

How do you pronounce bitter?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɪ.tɚ/.
What does bitter mean?
Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance).
Where does bitter come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bitter

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bitter”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɪ.tɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bitter”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “bitter” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.