Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bur

/bɝ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.75 in modern English

Syllables
bur
IPA
/bɝ/
5
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A rough, prickly husk around the seeds or fruit of some plants.

noun

Any of several plants having such husks.

noun

A rotary cutting implement having a selection of variously shaped heads.

noun

Alternative form of burr (“small piece of material”).

name

A surname.

Etymology

From Middle English burre, of unknown origin but probably from North Germanic (Scandinavian) source or from Old English byrst (“bristle”). See also burr. Compare English bristle, Danish burre (“bur, burdock”), Norwegian borre, Swedish borre, and Old Norse burst (“bristle”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: burre, -, byrst, Bur, Búr

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /bɝ/
  • British English: /bɜː/

Inflected Forms

burs (plural) burr (alternative)

Derived Forms

burdock burfish burgrass burlike burry burseed burweed butterbur cocklebur debur sandbur

Phrases

beach bur buffalo bur buffalo-bur buffalo-bur nightshade bur block bur marigold bur oak bur-reed

Synonyms

burr

Homonyms

burr birr (fern–fir–fur merger) bare bear (both fair–fur merger) burh

Rhymes With

were her per sir transfer prefer occur refer der inter fur entrepreneur

Questions

How do you pronounce bur?
The recorded pronunciation is /bɝ/.
What does bur mean?
A rough, prickly husk around the seeds or fruit of some plants.
Where does bur come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce bur

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