Broth is a noun referring to a savory liquid made by simmering meat, bones, or vegetables in water, usually used as a base for soups or sauces. It is typically clear and flavorful, and can be chicken, beef, or vegetable in origin. In everyday cooking, broth yields a rich, aromatic liquid that carries seasonings and depth from the simmered ingredients.
"I simmered bones and aromatics to make a rich beef broth for the soup."
"Vegetable broth is a great base for a light, gluten-free risotto."
"She spooned hot broth into a mug to soothe her sore throat."
"Broth can be enjoyed as a light consommé when clarified and strained."
Broth traces back to Old English broth, brouþ, from Proto-Germanic *bruthaz, related to Old Norse braut, Dutch bouder, German brühe. Its core meaning historically centered on a simmered liquid derived from meat or bones used to flavor meals. In Middle English, the word encompassed any savory liquid or soup base. The semantic shift over centuries kept broth as the animal- or vegetable-infused liquid component, distinct from solids, and later from more clarified consommé or stock. The earliest attestations appear in Old English texts where household cooks described making a nourishing liquid from simmered bones. Over time, the culinary lexicon refined terms: stock became a more technical term for the flavorful cooking liquid, while broth retained a homey, everyday sense of a ready-to-serve flavorful liquid, often eaten with meat or noodles. Today, broth is widely used in cooking shorthand for the flavorful liquid in soups, stews, and sauces, with regional variations such as clear consommé vs. cloudy stock. The word’s endurance in modern menus and home kitchens reflects its fundamental role in imparting body, umami, and warmth to dishes.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Broth" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Broth" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Broth"
-oth sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Broth is pronounced with a single syllable: /brɒθ/ in UK and US IPA. Start with a bilabial /b/ then an open back rounded vowel /ɒ/ (as in 'lot' in British English) and finish with the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ (like 'th' in 'think'), with little to no vowel delay before the final consonant. Your mouth should form a short, steady stop before the /θ/; keep the tongue lightly touching the upper teeth for the /θ/.
Common mistakes include turning the /ɒ/ into /ɔː/ as in 'bore' or adding an extra schwa before the /θ/. Some learners replace the final /θ/ with /f/ or /s/ or drop the final consonant altogether, saying /brɒ/ or /brɒθ/ with diphthong variation. To correct: practice a clean, short /ɒ/ vowel before the th sound, keep the tongue tip lightly on the upper teeth, and end promptly with the /θ/ rather than a voiced stop. Use minimal pairs like ‘broth’ vs ‘brother’ to keep the final voiceless /θ/.
In US English, /brɑːθ/ can occur in some dialects with a more open back vowel; the /θ/ remains voiceless. UK English typically uses /brɒθ/ with a shorter /ɒ/ and crisp teeth-fricative /θ/. Australian English often settles on /brɔːθ/ or /brɒθ/ depending on region, with a non-rhotic tendency that maintains the final /θ/ clearly. The key differences lie in vowel quality before the /θ/ and the length of the preceding vowel. Remember to avoid adding a vocalic glide before /θ/ in all accents.
The challenge with broth centers on the final /θ/ sound, a voiceless dental fricative produced with the tongue tip touching the upper teeth. Many learners substitute it with /f/ or /t/ or omit the sound, turning it into /brɒ/ or /brɔː/. Additionally, the short, unrounded /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ vowel can be unfamiliar, especially if your native language lacks a lax back rounded vowel before a voiceless dental fricative. Focus on precise tongue placement and a brief, unvoiced closure for /θ/ to achieve an authentic, clean broth.
A broth question many learners have is whether to stress the word in sentences. Broth is typically unstressed in casual speech when used as a base ingredient in a longer clause, but it can receive slight emphasis in recipes or when contrasting with other liquids (e.g., “I prefer chicken broth, not stock”). The pronunciation remains a single syllable /brɒθ/ or /brɔːθ/ depending on accent; the emphasis comes from the surrounding rhythm rather than an internal stress.
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