3 syllables: Be, sot, ted. Stress on sot.
bis-AW-tid
/bɪˈsɔtɪd/
Besotted is pronounced bis-AW-tid (/bɪˈsɔtɪd/). It has three syllables (Be-sot-ted), with the stress on "sot". Besotted is an adjective meaning deeply infatuated or in a state of intoxicated affection. It conveys intense admiration or attachment, often to the point of impractical judgment. The term emphasizes emotional saturation, as if one’s senses are overwhelmed by love or admiration.
adjectiveBesotted is an adjective meaning deeply infatuated or in a state of intoxicated affection. It conveys intense admiration or attachment, often to the point of impractical judgment. The term emphasizes emotional saturation, as if one’s senses are overwhelmed by love or admiration.
"She was besotted with the idea of romance and everything about it felt magical."
"The crowd grew besotted by the magician’s dazzling tricks and misdirection."
"He was utterly besotted with his partner, spending hours thinking about them."
Besotted is pronounced with three syllables: /bɪˈsɒt.ɪd/. Stress falls on the second syllable. The first syllable uses a short I as in bit, the middle vowel is an open back rounded /ɒ/ as in hot, and the final syllable ends with a light /ɪd/ followed by a voiced /d/. Try: bi-SOT-ted with clear separation between syllables. Audio references: consult Cambridge Dictionary or Forvo for native reads.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (e.g., /bɛˈsɒtɪd/ or /bɪˈzɒtɪd/), flattening the middle vowel to a schwa, and running the final -ed as a full /ɪd/ when faster speech can yield /t/ or /d/. Correct these by ensuring the second syllable carries primary stress, using /ɒ/ for the middle vowel, and producing the final /ɪd/ quickly but clearly as /ɪd/ in careful speech or /ɪt/ in rapid speech.
Across accents, the core /bɪˈsɒtɪd/ pattern remains, but vowel quality shifts: US tends toward /bɪˈsɑːtɪd/ or /bɪˈsɒtɪd/ with less rhotic influence, UK often uses /ˈbɪˈsɒtɪd/ with shorter ‘o’ and non-rhoticity in some regions, while AU tends to /bɪˈsɒtɪd/ with vowel height leaning toward /ɒ/ and crisp /t/. Rhoticity does not strongly alter this word in most varieties, but the quality of /ɒ/ and the vowel length can vary subtly.
The difficulty lies in the three-syllable structure with a mid-stressed vowel shift and a final lightly articulated /ɪd/. Balancing the /ɒ/ vowel in the stressed second syllable and avoiding an elongated /ɒ/ or a too-drawn-out final /d/ requires precise mouth positioning: a short /ɪ/ in the first syllable, a compact /ɒ/ for the second, then a quick /ɪd/ at the end. Practice with slow, deliberate articulation then speed up while maintaining clarity.
Does the stress naturally fall on the second syllable in all contexts, or can you hear a secondary emphasis on the first syllable in fast speech? In standard pronunciation, primary stress remains on -sot- (/ˈsɒ/), but in very rapid speech you might perceive a light secondary emphasis on the first syllable as a subtle rhythm effect. Maintain primary stress on the second syllable in careful pronunciation.
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Besotted traces its roots to the late Middle English besotten, from be- (an intensive prefix) + soten, from Old English sotian ‘to drenches, soak’. The sense evolved from literally soaked or drenched (as with wine or drink) to a figurative state of being overwhelmed or drenched in emotion. In early usage, besotten often described drunkenness, then extended to being overwhelmed by love or admiration. By the 16th-17th centuries, literature used besotted to describe romantic infatuation more than intoxication, though the underlying metaphor—being overwhelmed or saturated—remained. Today, besotted commonly means intensely in love or captivated, sometimes with a comic or slightly hyperbolic tone. First known citations appear in early modern English texts, with examples illustrating a person so taken with someone or something that ordinary judgment is impaired. Over time, the phrase often appears in literary and conversational registers, retaining its vivid imagery of saturation or immersion in emotion. The evolution reflects a shift from literal intoxication to metaphorical saturation of affection, while preserving the core idea of being completely enveloped by strong feeling.
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Words that rhyme with "Besotted"
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