3 syllables: bro, ther, ly. Stress on bro.
BRUHTH-ur-lee
/ˈbɹʌðɚli/
brotherly is pronounced BRUHTH-ur-lee (/ˈbɹʌðɚli/). It has three syllables (bro-ther-ly), with the stress on "bro". Brotherly is an adjective describing the kind of affection, support, or conduct characteristic of a brother; it can also imply fraternal, protective camaraderie. It often conveys warmth, closeness, and a sense of kinship without implying biological relation. In usage, it modifies attributes like care, conduct, or sentiment toward someone as if they were a brother.
Brotherly is an adjective describing the kind of affection, support, or conduct characteristic of a brother; it can also imply fraternal, protective camaraderie. It often conveys warmth, closeness, and a sense of kinship without implying biological relation. In usage, it modifies attributes like care, conduct, or sentiment toward someone as if they were a brother.
"Her brotherly advice came with a gentle firmness that helped me make the right choice."
"The team showed brotherly loyalty, backing each other through the tough match."
"She offered brotherly protection, stepping between him and the crowd."
Pronounce as /ˈbrʌðərli/ in US English, with primary stress on BRŌ- sounding syllable. The initial consonants are a voiced bilabial stop followed by a rhotic schwa cluster; the middle is a relaxed schwa with a pronounced -r-; the final -ly is a light, unstressed -li. Mouth: start with lips slightly apart, upper teeth lightly touching lower lip for /ɹ/ onset, tongue relaxed, then glide to a relaxed schwa before the /l/.
Common errors include reducing /ˈbrʌðərli/ to /ˈbrʌðlə/ by weakening the rhotic /ɹ/ or dropping the final -ry sound. Another frequent mistake is misplacing stress, saying /ˈbrʌðərli/ with secondary stress or shifting to /ˈbrəðərli/. Ensure the /ð/ sound in /ð/ is voiced and dental, not a /d/ or /v/ substitute; keep the sequence /-ər-/: /ər/ as a schwa+r blend, not a separate syllable. Finally, avoid a heavy schwa in the middle; keep a clear /ɚ/ or /ər/ without overarticulation.
US: /ˈbrʌðərli/, rhotic with clear /ɹ/ and vowels tending toward 'uh' in /ʌ/. UK: /ˈbrʌðəli/ or /ˈbrʌðəli/ with non-rhoticity often reducing /ɹ/ and more centralized /ə/ in the second syllable; AU: /ˈbrʌðəli/ with mild rhoticity and a slightly more centralized or centralized /ɪ/ in the final syllable depending on speaker. The key is rhoticity and the treatment of /ər/ vs /ə/ and vowel width; practice with minimal pairs to feel the shifts.
The difficulty lies in sequencing three syllables smoothly: a stressed /ˈbrʌð/ onset, a rhotic central /-ər-/ that blends a voiced dental fricative with a schwa, and a final lightly stressed -ly. The /ð/ sound can be challenging for non-native speakers, and the /ər/ sequence requires a quick, non-emphasized nucleus before the /l/. Lip tension around /ð/ and tongue placement for /ɹ/ and /l/ must be coordinated to avoid a clipped or misarticulated result.
The word uniquely fuses a rhotic central vowel sound cluster with a light final -ly suffix, producing a smooth, three-syllable rhythm (BRŌ-ther-ly). Its primary stress on the first syllable and the presence of the voiced dental fricative /ð/ in the second syllable demand precise tongue and jaw positioning. The combination of /ð/ plus /r/ plus /l/ in quick succession tests both segmental accuracy and phonotactic fluency, especially across accents.
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Brotherly derives from the noun brother, which itself comes from Old English brōþor, related to the German Brot or Dutch broer, all from the Proto-Germanic *bruþar. The suffix -ly attaches to form an adjective meaning “like a brother” or “characteristic of a brother.” The sense of fraternal warmth dates to Middle English as a figurative extension of kinship and loyalty, often used to describe behavior, affection, or obligations akin to those between siblings. Early written attestations show using -ly to express resemblance or quality of, later aligning with social virtues attributed to fraternal bonds. Through centuries, brotherly took on broader metaphorical usage for protective camaraderie among peers, neighbors, or teammates, while preserving the core sense of shared fraternity and benevolence. First known usages appear in the late medieval to early modern periods as English speakers described duties and sentiments within families and close-knit communities. In modern English, brotherly has a clear, stable meaning as an attributive adjective and occasionally as a predicative modifier, especially in formal or semi-formal prose and rhetoric.
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Words that rhyme with "brotherly"
-rly sounds
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