2 syllables: bus, ter. Stress on bus.
BUHS-tur
/ˈbʌstɚ/
buster is pronounced BUHS-tur (/ˈbʌstɚ/). It has two syllables (bus-ter), with the stress on "bus". Buster is a masculine noun or nickname meaning a person who breaks something or a device designed to smash or defeat. In everyday use it can describe a large, forceful person or thing, or be used playfully as a term for a person who, or thing that, “really works” (as in a “cookie-busting” gadget). It often conveys informality and colloquial tone.
Buster is a masculine noun or nickname meaning a person who breaks something or a device designed to smash or defeat. In everyday use it can describe a large, forceful person or thing, or be used playfully as a term for a person who, or thing that, “really works” (as in a “cookie-busting” gadget). It often conveys informality and colloquial tone.
- You: Focus on two or three common errors: 1) First syllable vowel drift: avoid over-drawn /ʌ/; keep it compact and clean as /ʌ/. 2) Final /ər/ vs /ə/ in rhotic accents: US tends to a rhotic /ɹ/ coloration; UK often reduces to /ə/ or /əː/. 3) /st/ cluster: ensure a crisp /st/ with a clean transition to the following vowel without inserting extra vowels. Corrections: practice with isolated syllables /ˈbʌs.tər/ then with light linking in words like 'buster in' and 'story-buster' to fix linking patterns. Use mirror or recording to hear tension in the jaw and lips and adjust. Encourage slow practice first, then speed up.
"The buster knocked over the old wall in a dramatic renovation."
"Don’t be a party pooper; be a party-buster and bring the energy."
"The new security system turned out to be a real buster, tough to bypass."
You say it as BUS-ter with two syllables. The primary stress is on the first syllable: /ˈbʌs.tər/ in US and UK dictionaries. The first vowel is the open-mid back lax /ʌ/ as in 'strut', the second syllable ends with an /ər/ rhotacized schwa in American English: /tər/. In careful, careful-enunciation styles the final rhotic may be lightly pronounced or reduced: /ˈbʌs.tə/. Accent-informed tip: keep the t crisp and release into a soft r in US speech.
Common mistakes include turning the first vowel into a broader /ʌ/ with excessive length or misplacing the stress on the second syllable, producing /ˈbəs.tə/ or /ˈbʌs.tə/. Another error is a too-strong, clipped final /r/ in non-rhotic dialects. Correction: ensure the first syllable holds /ʌ/ with a light, crisp /t/ before a schwa or /ər/. Practice with minimal pair /ˈbʌs.tər/ vs /ˈbəs.tər/ to internalize the pattern, and let the final /r/ voice out only in rhotic contexts.
In US English, /ˈbʌs.tər/ with a rhotic /ɹ/ at the end. UK RP tends to be non-rhotic, producing a weaker ending and often /-tə/ or /-tə/ without a strong r sound: /ˈbʌs.tə/. Australian English sits between, with a reduced final vowel and a more centralized /ə/; some speakers approach /ˈbʌstə/ with a softer, less rhotic ending. Across all, the key is the first syllable vowel quality and a crisp /t/ transition before the final vowel.
The difficulty often lies in the final /ə/ vs /ər/ rhotic realization, especially for non-native speakers or non-rhotic dialect speakers. The consonant cluster /st/ in the middle requires a precise, sharp /t/ release before a lighter, schwa-like ending. Lip and tongue positioning for /ʌ/ in stressed syllable plus the alveolar /t/ with a short release can be tricky, especially when connected to a following sound in rapid speech or in compound words.
Is there a notable pronunciation feature in 'buster' regarding the final syllable in fast compounds like 'party-buster'? Yes—the second syllable often reduces to a near-schwa, but the /r/ in American speech can color the vowel, making /ər/ feel like /ɚ/ or even disappear in non-rhotic contexts. You’ll want to maintain the crisp /t/ before a reduced vowel to preserve clarity in rapid speech and intimidating compounds like 'security-buster.'
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- US: Emphasize rhoticity; end with a light /ɹ/ coloring as /ˈbʌs.tɚ/. Vowel /ʌ/ remains central and short. - UK: Non-rhotic; the final /ər/ becomes /ə/ or a very light /ə/; maintain crisp /t/ before the schwa; aim for /ˈbʌs.tə/. - AU: Typically non-rhotic or weak rhotic; final vowel reduced; pronounced as /ˈbʌs.tə/ or /ˈbʌs.təː/?; keep a clean /t/ release. Refer to IPA /ˈbʌstə/ as common audi. - Consistency: keep the first syllable stable across dialects for intelligibility, transferable across contexts.
The noun buster originates from the verb bust, meaning to break or fracture. In late Middle English and Early Modern English, bust carried senses of breaking or destroying, and -er formed agent nouns indicating someone or something that performs the action (baker, breaker). The specialized sense of “person or device that defeats or overcomes” emerged in American English by the 19th to early 20th century, with compounds like fire-buster or crime-buster appearing in colloquial and popular culture contexts. The term often carried a robust, informal tone, frequently used in headlines and slang to evoke power or effectiveness. Its usage broadened into subjective labels like “cookie-buster” or “wall-buster” to describe tools, techniques, or individuals capable of decisive action. It is now commonly attached as a suffix in compound forms (e.g., party-buster, crowd-buster) to denote something that demolishes a barrier—whether literal (a physical obstacle) or figurative (an obstacle to progress). First known printed senses appear in American English print media in the late 19th century, with the form becoming widespread in the mid-20th century in pop culture, film, and advertising. The word maintains a flexible, colloquial register and is often stylized with hyphenation in longer compound expressions, reinforcing its “causes disruption or destruction” nuance in everyday speech.
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Words that rhyme with "buster"
-ter sounds
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