2 syllables: Bud, get. Stress on Bud.
BUHJ-it
/ˈbʌdʒɪt/
Budget is pronounced BUHJ-it (/ˈbʌdʒɪt/). It has two syllables (Bud-get), with the stress on "Bud". A budget is a plan that allocates expected income and expenditures over a defined period, typically used by individuals or organizations to guide financial decisions. It outlines priorities, limits, and targets, enabling monitoring and control of spending. As a noun, it also refers to a sum allocated for a specific purpose within such a plan. The term emphasizes prudent management and forecasting.
nounA budget is a plan that allocates expected income and expenditures over a defined period, typically used by individuals or organizations to guide financial decisions. It outlines priorities, limits, and targets, enabling monitoring and control of spending. As a noun, it also refers to a sum allocated for a specific purpose within such a plan. The term emphasizes prudent management and forecasting.
- You often mispronounce budget by turning the first syllable into /bʌ/ but then lengthen the second syllable too much; keep it short and crisp: /ˈbʌdʒɪt/. - Don’t omit the /dʒ/; some learners devoice it to /t/ or /j/; ensure you voice the affricate clearly: /dʒ/. - Final /t/ should be released with a light burst; avoid stopping voice early or making it silent. - The unstressed vowel in the second syllable can reduce too much; keep /ɪ/ distinct but not emphasized. - In rapid speech, you might merge syllables; maintain two-syllable rhythm to preserve clarity.
"Our monthly budget includes rent, utilities, groceries, and savings goals."
"The city announced its budget for next year, highlighting investments in schools and transit."
"You should review your budget quarterly to adjust for changed circumstances."
Budget is pronounced with two syllables: /ˈbʌdʒɪt/. The primary stress falls on the first syllable. Start with /b/ as in 'bat', then /ʌ/ as in 'strut' (not a long /o/), followed by /dʒ/ as in 'judge', and end with /ɪt/ where the vowel is a short, lax /ɪ/ and the final consonant is a crisp /t/. You’ll often hear a quick, almost clipped ending in casual speech. Audio examples: open a reputable dictionary or Pronounce for native-speaker samples.
Common mistakes: (1) Over-squeezing the vowel in the second syllable, saying /ˈbʊdʒiːt/ or /ˈbuddʒɪt/ with a full /iː/. Correction: keep the /ɪ/ short and relaxed: /ˈbʌdʒɪt/. (2) Mispronouncing /dʒ/ as /d/ or /j/; correct is the affricate /dʒ/ like in 'judge'. (3) Rushing the final /t/ or de-voicing it; ensure a clear /t/ with a light release. Practice with two-syllable rhythm: BUD-get, not BUH-jət.
US/UK/AU all share /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ as the base, but differences appear in vowel length and following consonant clarity. US tends toward a slightly sharper /dʒ/ and a bunched /ɪ/ in rapid speech; UK may exhibit crisper /t/ release and less vowel height variation; Australian often features a shorter, more centralized /ʌ/ and a flatter /ɪ/ with a softer /t/ or glottal stop in casual speech. In all, rhoticity is present in US and AU but less pronounced in some UK accents in rapid speech.
The difficulty centers on the /dʒ/ cluster blending with a short, lax /ɪ/ and ending with a clear /t/. For many, the transition B- to /dʒ/ creates a subtle articulatory shift; the /ʌ/ vowel in stressed syllable can be misproduced as /ɜː/ or /æ/. The final /t/ can be unreleased in rapid speech. Focus on keeping the /dʒ/ affricate intact, shortening the second syllable vowel, and articulating a crisp /t/.
Budget often prompts questions about the subtle shift from a plain consonant onset to an affricate cluster (/b/ + /dʒ/). To master this, practice the transition from /b/ to /dʒ/ in isolation (bu- + -dʒ-), then integrate it into a word: 'bud' + 'get' with a smooth, rapid connection. You’ll feel the glide from /b/ into the /dʒ/ onset; keep your lips rounded to aid the /dʒ/ formation.
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- US: clear /ɪ/ and a prominent /dʒ/; you might notice r-coloring less pronounced; focus on a quick mouth sequence: lips start rounded for /b/, then a rapid /dʒ/ with tongue blade toward the ridge behind the teeth, finishing with a short /ɪ/ and /t/. - UK: crisper /t/ release and less reduction in vowel quality; aim for precise lip and tongue positions; keep /b/ as a bilabial stop and /dʒ/ without extra lip rounding. - AU: often flatter vowels; maintain compact /ʌ/ and relaxed /ɪ/; watch for glottal stop tendencies before /t/ in casual speech. IPA references help keep you consistent.
Budget comes from the Old French bougette, meaning a small bag or purse, diminutive of bouge/bouge—the bag or pouch carried by a person. In medieval Europe, a bougette referred to a small bag used to carry money or provisions, and it appears in English by the 13th century in the sense of a leather bag containing goods. By the 16th century, the term broadened in English to mean a bag for a purse of money, and metaphorically to a plan of expenses. The modern financial sense—an itemized estimate of income and expenditures—emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries as finance and governance formalized, with governments and organizations adopting “budget” to describe the annual or periodic financial plan and the act of budgeting (allocating resources and setting limits). First known English usage attests to the sense of a purse and a set of items carried for a journey, gradually shifting to the figurative sense of planned provisioning.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Budget" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Budget" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Budget"
-get sounds
-al) sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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