Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

butterscotch

/ˈbʌtɚˌskɑt͡ʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.59 in modern English

Syllables
but-ter-scotch
IPA
/ˈbʌtɚˌskɑt͡ʃ/
21
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A hard candy made from butter, brown sugar, syrup and vanilla.

Uncountable

noun

A sauce or syrup made of similar ingredients.

Uncountable

noun

A light brown colour, like that of butterscotch candy.

Uncountable

adj

Of a light brown colour, like that of butterscotch candy.

adj

Having the flavour of butterscotch.

Etymology

From butter + scotch, with the second element deriving (not from scotch whiskey or Scotland, but) from Middle English scocchen (“to score, nick, cut”), in reference to how the candy is boiled and hardened and then usually scored to make breaking it apart easier. The word is usually said to have originally been a trademark of Parkinson's, who is claimed to have invented it.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈbʌtɚˌskɑt͡ʃ/
  • British English: /ˈbʌtəˌskɒtʃ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

butterscotches (plural)

Derived Forms

butterscotched butterscotchlike butterscotchy

Questions

How do you pronounce butterscotch?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbʌtɚˌskɑt͡ʃ/.
What does butterscotch mean?
A hard candy made from butter, brown sugar, syrup and vanilla.
Where does butterscotch come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce butterscotch

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