Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

half brother

/ˌhæfˈbɹʌðɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.93 in modern English

Syllables
half broth-er
IPA
/ˌhæfˈbɹʌðɚ/
22
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A male sibling sharing a single parent, as distinguished from a full brother or brother-german, from a step-brother, or from a brother-like figure such as a blood brother.

noun

A male half sibling (same dam, different sires).

Etymology

From Middle English half broþer, equivalent to half + brother. Cognate with Dutch halfbroer (“halfbrother”), German Halbbruder (“halfbrother”), Danish halvbroder (“halfbrother”), Swedish halvbroder, halvbror (“halfbrother”), Icelandic hálfbróðir (“halfbrother”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌhæfˈbɹʌðɚ/

Inflected Forms

half brothers (plural) half brethren (plural) half-brother (alternative) halfbrother (alternative)

Phrases

half brother-in-law half cousin half-cousin half sister half-sister half uncle half-uncle

Frequently Paired Words

half cousin half-cousin half sister half-sister half uncle half-uncle stepbrother

Synonyms

stepbrother half-brother

Questions

How do you pronounce half brother?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhæfˈbɹʌðɚ/.
What does half brother mean?
A male sibling sharing a single parent, as distinguished from a full brother or brother-german, from a step-brother, or from a brother-like figure such as a blood brother.
Where does half brother come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce half brother

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