Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

broken

/ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.88 in modern English

Syllables: bro-ken
IPA: /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

past participle of break

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

Example Sentences

"One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station."
"Local people say there were Russian and Chechen forces here.[…]Over here on the wall, one interesting detail- a single word, which someone has written in broken English: "Sori"."
"My arm is broken!"
"The ground was littered with broken bones."
"A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken."
"Then the circle would lie down again, and here and there a wolf would resume its broken nap."

Etymology

From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen, ġebrocen, from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”). Cognate with Dutch gebroken (“broken”), German Low German broken (“broken”), German gebrochen (“broken”). Morphologically broke + -n.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: broken, brocen, *brukanaz, *brekaną
Suffix: broke

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/
British English: /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more broken (comparative) most broken (superlative)

Derived Forms

breach break broke brokenhanded brokenhearted brokenly brokenness broket nonbroken shipbroken unbroken

Phrases

a broken clock is right twice a day broken arrow broken-backed broken bar broken beat broken bird broken bones Broken Bow

Frequently Paired Words

damaged leaking out of order piece drunk

Synonyms

burst split intermittent spasmodic broken fitful ragged catchy discontinuous intermissive patchy stop-start

Antonyms

intact

Rhymes With

spoken token woken outspoken unbroken unspoken michoacan loken misspoken kokan koken softspoken

Questions

How do you pronounce broken?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/.
What does broken mean?: past participle of break
Where does broken come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce broken

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