Braunau is a proper noun referring to several places of German-speaking origin, notably a town in Austria ( birthplace of Adolf Hitler) and a surname. In German, it denotes a place name formed from braun (brown) and au (a meadow or river meadow). Use as a geographical name or last name; capitalize as a proper noun, and pronounce with German phonology when referring to the Austrian town.
US: rhotic r, more pronounced final /ɹ/; UK: non-rhotic, slightly tighter vowel; AU: non-rhotic with broader vowel qualities and casual 'r' in some contexts depending on region. For /aʊ/ diphthongs, keep lip rounding symmetrical across both syllables. IPA: US/UK: ˈbraʊ.naʊ; AU: ˈbɹaʊ.naʊ; Practice with recordings to match native speakers precisely.
"Braunau am Inn is a town on the Inn River in Austria."
"Researchers traced the surname Braunau to a German-speaking region."
"During the trip, we passed Braunau and learned about its history."
"In class, we discussed the etymology of place-based surnames like Braunau."
Braunau is a toponymic and surname-origin term from German-speaking regions. The first element braun derives from the Old High German brun or brunno, meaning brown or brownish, often describing soil, hair, or wood. The suffix au originates from the Germanic word for meadow, river meadow, or floodplain and is common in place-names along watercourses. The combination Braunau appears as a placename in German-speaking areas, denoting a brown meadow or a meadow by a brownish color perhaps referencing soils or vegetation. In German, the town Braunau am Inn in Austria has produced a surname and has historical significance due to its association with Adolf Hitler, influencing contemporary associations with the name in some contexts. The place-name form acquired standard German orthography in the medieval and early modern periods and has since remained a stable toponym with regional phonology.
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Words that rhyme with "Braunau"
-rau sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Braunau is pronounced with a diphthong in the first syllable and a rounded final vowel: (US) ˈbraʊ.naʊ. The first syllable rhymes with 'now', and the final 'au' sounds like 'ow' as in 'how'. The stress falls on the first syllable: BRAN-now? Actually BRAU-nau: first syllable is stressed. So IPA: ˈbraʊ.naʊ. mouth: start with b-p lips unison, then the 'r' is a tapped or approximant R depending on dialect, then 'aʊ' as a rising diphthong from open back to close near-back, then 'n', finish with 'aʊ' again.
Common errors include flattening the diphthong to a simple 'aw' as in 'brawn-ow' or misplacing the stress as on second syllable. Another is treating 'au' as 'aw' in 'autumn' without the final /ɪ/; instead the 'au' here is a true Germanic /aʊ/ diphthong. Finally, speakers may soften the final /aʊ/ to a pure /uː/ or /oʊ/. Correction: emphasize the two-syllable sequence with a distinct first and second diphthong, maintain the 'r' quality, and keep the final /aʊ/ sound clearly as 'ow' in 'how'.
In US English, you'll likely hear ˈbraʊ.naʊ, with a non-rhotic influence and an American 'r' after the initial consonant. In UK English, ˈbraʊ.naʊ with a slightly more non-rhotic 'r' and a sharper vowel onset; Americans may make the 'r' more pronounced. In Australian English, ˈbraʊ.naʊ with a similar diphthong /aʊ/ but with broader vowel qualities and a lightly rolled or tapped 'r' depending on speaker. The key differences center on rhoticity and vowel quality; but the two diphthongs remain /aʊ/ each syllable.
The difficulty lies in the two elements: the first syllable's /aʊ/ diphthong, and the final /aʊ/ that remains a diphthong rather than a long vowel. Also, the 'r' in various accents may be subtle or non-rhotic, so you rely on a light tap or approximant. Finally, the entire word has a two-syllable rhythm with stress on the first syllable, so the timing matters; avoid smoothing the two diphthongs into a single vowel and maintain crisp separation between syllables.
The second syllable uses /naʊ/ as in 'now' with the 'au' diphthong pronounced similarly to the first syllable's '/aʊ/'. It is not a long 'oo' sound; the mouth closes slightly toward the end. So the two syllables are 'brau' and 'nau' with both containing /aʊ/; you should hear an echo of the first vowel in the second, giving a balanced two-syllable diphthongal pattern.
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