A burglar is a person who commits a break-in, typically entering a building unlawfully to steal. In everyday use, the term refers to the act itself or to the person who performs it, rather than a surveillance or security professional. The noun emphasizes the unlawful, property-intruding aspect of the crime rather than any specific method. Often heard in crime news, literature, and law enforcement contexts.
US: emphasize rhotic /ɜr/ with a clear /ɡ/ and a stronger /l/ in the final cluster; UK: the first syllable is /ˈbɜː/ with non-rhotic /r/, the ending often /lə/ rather than /lər/; AU: often similar to UK but with a flatter /ɜː/ and a softer /l/ at the end. Vowel quality tends toward a longer, tenser /ɜː/ in UK/AU vs a more centralized /ɜr/ in US. IPA cues guide you: US /ˈbɜr.ɡlər/, UK /ˈbɜː.ɡlə/, AU /ˈbɜː.ɡlə/.
"The burglar slipped in through an unlocked door while the household was asleep."
"Police arrested a burglar who had targeted several homes in the neighborhood."
"The alarm system scared away the burglar before he could grab anything valuable."
"A seasoned burglar often plans his moves, evading cameras and alarms."
Burglar comes from the Middle English burgeler, from Old French burglar, itself from burgier ‘to protect a town’ (related to burg/burgh meaning town). The English sense shifted by the 15th century to mean one who breaks into houses, especially to steal, likely influenced by terms for “wall” or “city” inhabitants who claimed property. The root burg- traces to Proto-Germanic *burgô- meaning ‘fortified place’ and Proto-Indo-European *bhergh- ‘hill, mound’ in some cognate lines, though the burglary sense attaches more to the idea of invading a fortified domestic space. Over time, burglary as a criminal act became common in legal language, with “burglar” narrowing to an individual who commits burglary. First known use in English appears in the 16th century as a person who breaks into homes yet steals property rather than merely trespassing. In modern usage, burglar is a standard legal noun, frequently paired with adjectives like “professional,” “point-of-entry,” or “unnoticed.”
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Words that rhyme with "Burglar"
-lar sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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US: /ˈbɜr.ɡlər/; UK: /ˈbɜː.ɡlə/; AU: /ˈbɜː.ɡlə/. Start with a stressed first syllable /bɜː/ as in “bird” without the r-colored vowel in non-rhotic accents for UK; in US the /ɜr/ cluster is pronounced with rhoticity, then /ɡ/ blends into /lər/ with a light 'er' sound. The final syllable reduces to /lər/ in American speech and /lə/ in many Australian and British parlance. Mouth positions: open-mid back vowel with slight lip rounding, alveolar stop /g/, and a light post-alveolar /l/ followed by a schwa-like /ər/ or /ə/. Audio reference: you’ll hear the rhythm with primary stress on BUR- and a quick, softly released r-colored ending in most dialects.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing the stress on the second syllable (bur-Glar) — correct is BUR-ger with primary stress on the first syllable. 2) Over-tensing the second syllable, producing an exaggerated /ɡər/; instead, reduce to /ɡlər/ or /ɡlə/ in non-stressed contexts. 3) Pronouncing the first syllable as /bɚ/ (ur as a rhotic) in UK speech; instead, aim for /bɜː/ or /bɜː/ depending on accent. Focus on concise, clean /ˈbɜr/ or /ˈbɜː/.
US speakers: strong rhotic /ɜr/ in the first syllable and a pronounced final /lər/. UK: non-rhotic after the vowel in many accents; /ˈbɜː/ followed by /ɡlə/ or /ɡlɐ/ with a lighter /r/ or silent depending on region. Australian: similar to UK but with a broader, flatter vowel in /ɜː/ and tends to a clear /lə/ ending. Overall, US emphasizes the /r/ more than UK/AU; vowel quality in the first syllable tends toward a rounded back vowel in US, with UK/AU favoring a longer, pure /ɜː/.
Key challenges: the /ɜr/ cluster in the first syllable can be tricky, especially for non-rhotic speakers; the second syllable /ɡlər/ in rapid speech often reduces to /ɡlə/ or even /ɡlə/ with a light touch of the /r/ in rhotic voices, causing mispronunciation. Additionally, the subtle transition from /ɡ/ to /l/ without an overt vowel can be hard to maintain in connected speech. Practice the smooth glide from /ɜr/ to /ɡlər/ by isolating the sequence and then blending into fast speech.
The unique feature is the cluster boundary between /ɜr/ (or /ɜː/ in non-rhotic accents) and /ɡ/ leading into an /lər/ or /lə/ ending. Pay attention to the subtle vowel length in the first syllable, the crisp /g/ release, and the final /r/ or /l/ quality depending on accent. In US, keep a strong rhotic ending; in UK/AU, the /r/ may be weaker or non-rhotic, so the ending can be a schwa plus light /l/.
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