Burglary is the crime of illegally entering a building to commit theft. In everyday usage, it refers to the act or the offense itself, rather than the person who commits it. The term is formal and legal in tone, commonly used in news reporting and legal discussions, and often paired with phrases like “burglary charges” or “burglary suspect.”
You often over-smooth the first vowel, giving /bɜːɡlri/ without the schwa; you may blur /l/ and /ɹ/ together, producing a run-on; you might stress the second syllable unexpectedly as in BUR-glar-y instead of BURG-lə-ry. Fix by carving the syllable boundaries: BURG | lə | ry. Practice slow, then speed up while keeping the /l/ crisp and the final /ɪ/ quick. Record yourself, compare to a model, and adjust the tongue blade and jaw height to achieve the clear /ɜː/ initial vowel and distinct /l/ before /ə/.
US: rhotic /ɹ/ is pronounced; Vowel in first syllable tends to be a tight mid back vowel /ɜː/. UK: slightly less rhotic, may reduce the /ɜː/ slightly toward /ɜ/; AU: broader diphthongs, /ɜː/ can shift toward /ɜːə/; all: keep /l/ and /ɡ/ distinct, steady tempo. IPA references: US /ˈɜrɡləri/, UK /ˈɜːɡləri/, AU /ˈɜːɡləɹi/.
"The police investigated a series of burglaries in the neighborhood."
"She was charged with burglary after security footage linked her to the break-in."
"The burglary occurred late at night when the house was unoccupied."
"Community meetings focus on burglary prevention and neighborhood watch programs."
Burglary comes from the Middle English burglary, which itself derives from Old French burgrerie, meaning ‘a fortress or fortification’ combined with the idea of breaking into. The ultimate root is the Germanic word burg, meaning ‘a fortress, a fortified place,’ related to the idea of protection and security. The sense shifted in English to refer to illegal entry into a building, often by force, to commit a crime. Early usage in English law emphasizes the breaking and entering aspect rather than theft alone. Over time, the word narrowed to denote the specific offense of entering a dwelling with intent to commit theft or felony. In modern usage, burglary is a charge distinct from robbery, which involves force or threat, and from stealing alone, which does not require unlawful entry. First known uses appear in legal texts and criminal statutes from the 15th to 17th centuries, with the modern usage solidifying in 19th and 20th century English law and journalism.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Burglary" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Burglary"
-ray sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Usual pronunciation is /ˈbɜːrɡləri/ (US) or /ˈbɜːɡləri/ (UK/AU). Start with BURG as /bɜːrɡ/ with the /ɜː/ as a stressed mid-back vowel, then a light /l/ onset for -lar-, and end with a quick unstressed /i/ /iː/ as in -ry. Keep the syllable boundary after the /ɡ/: BURG-ler-y. Mouth: lips neutral, tongue high-mid back, jaw slightly open, tip of the tongue near the alveolar ridge for /ɡl/. Audio resources: you can compare with Cambridge or Forvo entries for the word.
Common mistakes: flattening the first vowel to a lax /ɜ/ in some dialects, producing /ˈbɜːrɡlri/ without the clear /ə/ between /l/ and /r/, and misplacing stress on the second syllable. Correction: keep primary stress on BURG (ˈbɜːrɡ), insert a schwa-like schwa /ə/ before the final -ry: /ˈbɜːɡ.lə.ɹi/ in careful speech, and maintain a distinct /l/ before /r/ to avoid blending /l/ and /r/ into a single liquid. Practice slowly then speed up while preserving the separation of /l/ and /ɹ/.
In US English, the first syllable carries strong stress with /ɜːr/ as in ‘burn’, followed by a light /ɡləɹi/ ending; rhotic r is pronounced. UK English maintains /ˈbɜːɡləri/ with a clear rhotic-like /ɜː/ in many accents and a slightly darker /ɡ/; the final -ry is /ri/ or /riː/ depending on speaker. Australian English is similar to UK/US but often features a slightly broader vowel in /ɜː/ and a non-velarized or easier /ɹ/ in the final syllable, with some speakers affricating the /ɡl/ cluster less distinctly. IPA references: US /ˈbɜː(r)ɡləri/, UK /ˈbɜːɡləri/, AU /ˈbɜːɡləɹi/.
Three challenges: the /ɜːr/ vowel in stressed first syllable can be unfamiliar to non-native speakers; the /ɡl/ cluster can sound like /ɡl/ blends into /ɡl/ making the word run together; and the unstressed final -ary with a reduced /ə/ can be tricky, leading to /ˈbɜːɡlri/ or /ˈbɜːɡləri/ mispronunciations. Focus on isolating the /l/ from the following /r/ and keeping the final /i/ as a short, quick vowel. IPA cues: /ˈbɜːɡləri/.
Does the word hide any silent letters or unusual digraphs? Not exactly silent letters here; the challenge is the rhotic pronunciation of /ɜːr/ and the /ɡl/ cluster before /ə/ and /ri/. The letters are phonemically active: /b/ , /ɜː/ , /ɡ/ , /l/ , /ə/ , /ɹ/ , /i/. Emphasize the r-colored vowel and the clear /l/ followed by the rhotic /ɹ/ before the final /i/.
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