2 syllables: bank, rupt. Stress on bank.
BANG-kruhpt
/ˈbæŋkɹəpt/
bankrupt is pronounced BANG-kruhpt (/ˈbæŋkɹəpt/). It has two syllables (bank-rupt), with the stress on "bank". Bankrupt means legally declared unable to pay one’s debts, or so financially insolvent that creditors may pursue settlements. In everyday use, it describes a state of complete financial ruin or failure. The term combines legal finance with common metaphor, signaling a drastic loss of solvency or viability.
Bankrupt means legally declared unable to pay one’s debts, or so financially insolvent that creditors may pursue settlements. In everyday use, it describes a state of complete financial ruin or failure. The term combines legal finance with common metaphor, signaling a drastic loss of solvency or viability.
"The company filed for Chapter 11 and was declared bankrupt after the restructuring failed."
"After years of mismanagement, the startup became bankrupt and ceased operations."
"Some investors worry that a rapid market crash could bankrupt their portfolios."
Bankrupt is pronounced with two syllables: /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/ in General American and /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/ in UK/ AU as well. Emphasize the first syllable BANK-, with a clear vowel in the second unstressed syllable and a crisp, final /pt/ closure. In faster speech, eschew extra vowel color on the middle syllable and keep /ŋ/ nasal before the /k/. Visualize starting with /b/ at the lips, then /æ/ (as in cat), /ŋ/ with the tongue raised, /k/ with a strong stop, /r/ with a light tip, and /ʌ/ followed by /pt/—a brief voiceless stop cluster at the end.
Common errors include turning the first syllable into a lax, reduced vowel (e.g., /bənkrʌpt/), misplacing the /ŋ/ or omitting the /k/ before /r/, and softening the final /pt/ into a /p/ or /t/ alone. Correct by keeping the strong /ŋ/ before /k/ and articulating the /pt/ as a quick, unreleased cluster: /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/. Ensure you don’t devoce the /r/ in non-rhotic accents to avoid a hesitating middle syllable.
Across accents, the core /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/ remains, but rhotic pronunciation influences the /r/: rhotic (US) keeps a strong /ɹ/; non-rhotic (some UK varieties) may have a subtler or near-nonexistent post-vocalic /r/ after vowels, though bank-rupt remains with a strong /r/ before the final consonant cluster in many ears. Australian typically mirrors US rhotic pronunciation, with precise /æ/ and /ʌ/ values. The main differences lie in vowel quality and the realization of /r/ and the speed of the final /pt/ cluster.
The difficulty centers on the two-consonant cluster /ŋ.kr/ and the final /pt/ cluster. Maintaining the nasal /ŋ/ directly before the hard /k/ is challenging, especially when followed by a fast /r/ and abrupt /pt/ release. The vowel in the first syllable also requires a precise open front lax vowel /æ/. Focus on starting with the nasal, then a crisp, unreleased /t/ after /p/ in rapid speech; practice the transition from /ŋ/ to /k/ without an interposed vowel.
A distinctive point is the clean, unreleased /pt/ at the end. Many speakers voice the final consonant combination in a single, rapid release, avoiding a prolonged /t/. This makes the ending sound like a hard, clipped /pt/. Emphasize the abrupt stop right after /p/ without surging tone, while keeping the /ŋ/ and /k/ sequence tight before the /r/.
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US: /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/ with a strong rhotic /ɹ/ in US; the /æ/ is open front, /ʌ/ is relaxed back. UK: often non-rhotic, but /r/ is possible before /pt/ in some speakers; ; AU: rhotic; keep /ɹ/ subtle before /pt/. Vowel qualities differ: /æ/ slightly lower and tenser in US; /ʌ/ more centralized in UK. Accent-specific cues: ensure the /ŋ/ is breathy enough to avoid /n/ misarticulation. In all accents, keep the /k/ firmly released into the /r/ and then quick /pt/. IPA references: US /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/, UK /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/, AU /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/.
Bankrupt traces to the French banc-rupt, from banc meaning bench or bank and rupt meaning broken; literally ‘broken bench’ referring to a state where a merchant’s bench money or credit was broken, metaphorically reflecting insolvency. The term entered English via Norman French in the late Middle Ages, aligning with medieval mercantile culture where merchants’ benches represented their credit and liquidity. Early usage described goods or merchants who could not settle debts, evolving to the legal sense of declaring bankruptcy in courts. Over centuries, “bankrupt” also became a noun and adjective. By the 17th–18th centuries, English began differentiating between personal insolvency and corporate insolvency; the modern sense of being legally declared insolvent solidified with formal bankruptcy statutes. In current usage, bankrupt emphasizes an official status, though in casual speech it can describe severe financial failure or metaphorical ruin in non-financial domains. First known use in English appears in legal contexts around the 15th–16th centuries, with earlier roots in French financial and legal terminology that influenced English mercantile law.
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Words that rhyme with "bankrupt"
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