Burdens is the plural noun or verb form meaning weight, responsibility, or difficulty that is carried or borne. In noun form, it refers to heavy loads or duties; as a verb it means to encumber or weigh down. The term often carries a sense of obligation or strain beyond mere physical heaviness, and is used in both formal and everyday contexts.
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"The project added new burdens to an already tight schedule."
"She carried her burdens with quiet resolve, never complaining."
"Economic burdens fell heaviest on small businesses during the recession."
"He shouldered the burdens of leadership despite the stress."
The word burdens derives from Old English burdian or britian, rooted in the noun burd meaning “a thing to carry, burden, load,” with related senses of obligation or responsibility. In Middle English, burden broadened to describe both physical loads and figurative duties. The semantic shift toward “something that weighs down” occurs in many Germanic languages where cognates carry the sense of load or duty. By the 13th century, burdens appears in legal and religious texts to describe onerous duties, obligations, or taxes, gradually taking on broader use in poetry and prose to describe emotional or social weight. The plural form burdens emphasizes multiple weights or duties, rather than a singular load. The term’s usage expanded in modern English to cover diverse contexts—from physical cargo to emotional strain or social expectations—while maintaining its core sense of something that slows progress or imposes strain on a person or group.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "burdens" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "burdens" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "burdens"
-nts sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce BUR-dənz with primary stress on BUR. IPA: US /ˈbɜːrdənz/; UK /ˈbɜːdənz/; AU /ˈbɜːdənz/. Start with an open mid back vowel /ɜː/ (like 'nurse' without r-coloring in rhotic accents), then a schwa-less 'd' or a softened 'dn' in fast speech, and conclude with the voiced -nz. In rapid speech, the syllables can blend: /ˈbɜːrdnz/.
Common errors: (1) Reducing BUR to a flatter vowel; ensure /ɜː/ or /ɝ/ is clear. (2) Slurring the /d/ into the following /ən/ leading to /ˈbɜːrdnz/; practice separating /d/ and /ən/ briefly. (3) Failing to voice the final /z/ leading to a voiceless /s/; ensure you voice the final /z/ in /-z/. Corrective tip: say BUR, then quick /dənz/ with a light, clear /d/ before the nucleus /ən/ and finish with /z/.
US: rhotic /ɜːr/; clear rhotic articulation with a pressed /r/. UK: non-rhotic /ɜː/ before /nz/ and linking r-less in many dialects; pronunciation tends toward /ˈbɜːdənz/. AU: similar to UK with subtle vowel shifts; Australians may have a more centralized /ɜː/ and less pronounced /r/; final /z/ remains voiced. In all, primary stress on first syllable; /dn/ cluster often reduced in rapid speech.
It combines an unstressed second syllable with a voiced final consonant cluster /nz/, which can be softened in rapid speech. The central vowel /ɜː/ requires tongue-midback positioning without lip rounding; the /d/ must be held briefly before /ən/ to avoid blending into /ənz/. The sequence /də nz/ can create a subtle pause; focusing on a crisp /d/ release and a voiced /z/ helps. IPA cues: /ˈbɜːdənz/.
Does 'burdens' ever lose the /d/ in rapid speech, producing /ˈbɜːnz/? In careful speech, you’ll keep the /d/; in fast connected speech you may hear /ˈbɜːrdnz/ or /ˈbɜːnz/ depending on speaker and locale. The key is to maintain the /d/ timing so the second syllable remains distinct before the /nz/ ending.
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