2 syllables: break, er. Stress on break.
BRAY-kur
/ˈbɹeɪkɚ/
breaker is pronounced BRAY-kur (/ˈbɹeɪkɚ/). It has two syllables (break-er), with the stress on "break". Breaker is a common noun or verb form referring to something that breaks or breaks something apart, often used in contexts like waves breaking on a shore or a breaker in electrical systems. As a linguistic unit, it stresses the first syllable and ends with a light -er suffix, producing a two-syllable pattern that is typical of many English derivations from verb roots.
Breaker is a common noun or verb form referring to something that breaks or breaks something apart, often used in contexts like waves breaking on a shore or a breaker in electrical systems. As a linguistic unit, it stresses the first syllable and ends with a light -er suffix, producing a two-syllable pattern that is typical of many English derivations from verb roots.
"The breaker on the shoreline churned the foam as it rolled in."
"A circuit breaker trips when there’s an electrical overload."
"The ice breaker cleared a path through the frozen harbor."
Breaker is pronounced BEY-kər, with primary stress on the first syllable. In IPA: US /ˈbreɪ.kɚ/, UK /ˈbreɪ.kə/, AU /ˈbreɪ.kə/. The first syllable features the diphthong /eɪ/ as in 'bay,' followed by a rhotic or non-rhotic ending depending on accent; in rhotic US, the final /ɚ/ or /ər/ is pronounced, while in non-rhotic accents you may hear a reduced /ə/. Mouth position: start with a mid-front tongue position for /eɪ/ glide, then relax to a schwa-like /ɚ/ or /ə/ while curling the tongue slightly toward the palate for American /ɚ/. Audio reference: imagine the air-flow and lip rounding of saying 'bray' quickly into 'ker'.
Common mistakes include: (1) misplacing the stress, saying 'breaker' with equal emphasis (BRE-ker) which flattens rhythm change; (2) mispronouncing the /eɪ/ as a short /e/ or /ɛ/, giving 'breh-ker'; (3) treating the ending as /ɜr/ or /er/ in non-rhotic accents, leading to a heavier or odd ending. Correction: emphasize /eɪ/ in the first syllable (beɪ-), then produce a short, quick /kər/ or /kə/ depending on accent; practice with /ˈbreɪ.kɚ/ (US) or /ˈbreɪ.kə/ (UK/AU) and maintain the schwa-like ending in non-rhotic accents.
Across accents, the key differences lie in the final vowel. US tends to pronounce the final as /ɚ/ (rhotic schwa), sounding like 'bray-kər'. UK and AU commonly reduce the final to /ə/ or /ə/ with non-rhoticity, sounding like 'bray-kuh' or 'bray-kə'. The first syllable /breɪ/ remains largely the same with the /eɪ/ diphthong; the lip rounding and tongue height are similar, but rhoticity affects whether you pronounce an /r/ at the end. In US you’ll hear a clear rhotic ending; in UK/AU, a softer or absent r in many dialects.
The challenge lies in the diphthong /eɪ/ and the final unstressed schwa /ɚ/ or /ə/. Many learners mis-stress the word, shorten /eɪ/ to a short /e/, or over-articulate the /r/ in non-rhotic dialects. For non-native ears, the combination of a strong first syllable with a quick, muted second syllable is unfamiliar. The trick is to sustain the /eɪ/ sound clearly and then drop into a light, almost unpronounced final vowel, matching your target accent's rhotic pattern.
A unique aspect is the interplay between a strong /eɪ/ in the first syllable and a short, often reduced ending that changes with rhotic vs non-rhotic accents. The stress and timing create a two-syllable rhythm (BEY-kər) that can undermine learner intuitions about two-syllable words with an -er suffix. Practicing minimal pairs like 'baker' and 'breaker' helps to hear the subtle difference in vowel length and final vowel quality.
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US: /ˈbreɪ.kɚ/ with rhotic /ɚ/. UK/AU: /ˈbreɪ.kə/ with reduced ending. Vowel: keep /eɪ/ as a clear diphthong; ending is unstressed in UK/AU; lip rounding is minimal. Consonants: /br/ onset cluster, /k/ released before the final vowel; ensure the /r/ is pronounced only in rhotic US contexts. In non-rhotic accents, the trailing /r/ is not strongly pronounced; you’ll hear a subtle /ə/ after the /k/. IPA references: US /ˈbreɪ.kɚ/, UK /ˈbreɪ.kə/, AU /ˈbreɪ.kə/. Practice by mimicking native audio; note the final vowel’s strength varies by dialect.
Breaker derives from the verb break, which comes from Old English brecan, related to German brechen and Dutch breken. The suffix -er to indicate an agent noun, meaning ‘one who breaks’ or ‘that which breaks,’ appears in Middle English, aligning with other agent nouns like maker and breaker’s kin. The term extended to specific uses, such as a wave that breaks at the shore and a circuit-protecting device, by metaphorical extension: both the ocean and electrical systems experience a form of interruption or cessation. The earliest attestations of breakdate from Old English, and the sense of ‘one who breaks’ solidified in Middle English with the -er derivational pattern. The word evolved in specialized domains, with “breaker” taking on technical meaning in maritime contexts (breaking surf) and engineering (circuit breakers), while remaining a productive everyday noun for a person or device that causes breaking or interruption. In modern usage, it also appears in compound terms (ice-breaker, breaker's baton) showing the adaptability of the base root across semantic fields.
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Words that rhyme with "breaker"
-ker sounds
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