Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bridge

/bɹɪd͡ʒ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.77 in modern English

Syllables
bridge
IPA
/bɹɪd͡ʒ/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An arch or superstructure.

noun

An arch or superstructure.

noun

An arch or superstructure.

noun

An arch or superstructure.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English brigge, from Old English brycġ (“bridge”), from Proto-West Germanic *bruggju, from Proto-Germanic *brugjō, *brugjǭ (“bridge”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerw-, *bʰrēw- (“wooden flooring, decking, bridge”). Cognates Cognate with Scots brig, brigg (“bridge”), Yola burge (“bridge”), North Frisian brag, Bröch (“bridge”), Saterland Frisian Brääch, Brääg (“bridge”), West Frisian brêge (“bridge”), Dutch brug (“bridge”), German Brücke (“bridge”), Limburgish brögk (“bridge”), Luxembourgish Bréck (“bridge”), Vilamovian bryk (“bridge”), Yiddish בריק (brik, “bridge”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål brygge (“jetty, pier, wharf”), Faroese, Icelandic bryggja (“pier”), Norwegian Nynorsk brygge, bryggje (“jetty, pier, wharf”), Swedish brygga (“bridge; pier”). The verb is from Middle English briggen, from Old English brycġian (“to bridge, make a causeway, pave”), derived from the noun. Cognate with Dutch bruggen (“to bridge”), Middle Low German bruggen (“to bridge”), Old High German bruccōn (“to bridge”) (whence Modern German brücken). The sense of a part of a stringed instrument is a semantic loan from German Steg, from Old High German steg.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: brigge, brycġ, *bruggju, *brugjō, *bʰerw-, briggen

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce bridge?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɹɪd͡ʒ/.
What does bridge mean?
A construction or natural feature that spans a divide.
Where does bridge come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bridge

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