Cotton is a soft natural fiber harvested from cotton plants, used to make textiles and fabrics. It also refers to the fibers themselves when spun into yarn. The term covers the material as well as products like cotton clothing and cotton threads, valued for softness, breathability, and versatility in garments and household textiles.
- You might default to a long, drawn-out vowel in the first syllable; keep it short and crisp: /ˈkɒ/ rather than /ˈkoʊ/. - Don’t insert extra vowels in the second syllable; aim for /ən/ (schwa + n) rather than /ɒn/ or /ənn/. - In fast speech, avoid t-glottalization that masks the /t/; keep a light, precise /t/ followed by a quick schwa. - Monitor linking: in connected speech, avoid a heavy pause between cot and ton; the two syllables should be clearly connected but not slowed.
- US: You may hear /ˈkɑːtən/ or /ˈkɒtən/. Emphasize rhoticity: the /r/ is not in cotton, so focus on the vowel quality and crisp /t/. - UK: Expect /ˈkɒtən/ with a short, clipped first vowel; non-rhotic r, second syllable reduced to /ən/. - AU: Similar to UK but with slightly broader vowels; keep the first vowel rounded and short, and the second syllable lightly enunciated. IPA anchors: US /ˈkɑːtən/ or /ˈkɒtən/, UK /ˈkɒtən/, AU /ˈkɒtən/.
"She bought a cotton shirt that stays cool in hot weather."
"The quilt is made from 100% cotton and feels exceptionally soft."
"Cotton grows in warm climates and is a major agricultural cash crop."
"He searched for a cotton handkerchief to wipe his glasses."
The word cotton traces to the Old English cotten, coten, borrowed from Old North French cotoun or coton, which likely derive from Medieval Latin cottonem, cotton- (cotton wool) and Arabic qutn/ qutun through trade routes, with further roots in Persian and Sanskrit terms for cotton fibers. The earliest English usage appears in the late 13th to early 14th centuries, reflecting a long-standing commodity traded along Mediterranean and Atlantic routes. Over centuries, the semantic scope widened from the fiber itself to fabrics and products made from it, finally encompassing the modern sense of “cotton clothing” and “cotton textiles.” The term evolved in parallel with agricultural cultivation, industrial textile development, and consumer goods expansion, maintaining a core association with the plant’s fiber and its pliable, breathable properties. The word’s phonology simplified to the two-syllable cot-ton with a stress on the first syllable, aligning with common English noun morphology and the widespread adoption of the material in global fashion and industry.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "Cotton" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Cotton" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Cotton" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Cotton"
-ton sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Cotton is pronounced /ˈkɒtən/ in both US and UK English. It has two syllables with primary stress on the first: cot-ton. Start with a short back rounded vowel /ɒ/ as in 'lot', then move to a neutral schwa /ə/ in the second syllable. Tip: keep the /t/ crisp, and avoid any extra vowel after the /t/ in rapid speech. You’ll likely hear a subtle vowel reduction in fast speech, but in careful speech the /ɒ/ remains clear. Audio references: hearing it in standard dictionaries or pronunciation videos will reinforce the /ˈkɒtən/ pattern.
Common mistakes: (1) misplacing the stress or creating a drawl on the second syllable; (2) merging /t/ into a flap or stop in rapid speech, making it sound like ‘cot-ton’ with an off glide; (3) mixing vowel quality so /ɒ/ becomes /ɑ/ or /ɔ/ depending on accent. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable /ˈkɒtən/, articulate a crisp /t/ between /ɒ/ and /ən/, and end with a neutral /ən/ rather than adding an extra vowel. Practice with simple phrases to fix rhythm: “cot-ton, cot-ton shirt.”
In US and UK, cotton is pronounced with /ˈkɒtən/ (UK) or /ˈkɑːtən/ (some American regions show /ˈkɒtən/; others approximate /ˈkɑːtən/). The main differences: rhoticity affects the /r/ in some connected speech variants (cotton itself is non-rhotic in British English, but in careful speech you won’t hear an /r/). In Australian English, pronunciation tends toward /ˈkɒtən/ with a clipped /t/ and less vowel rounding. In all, the first syllable carries the primary stress, and the second syllable uses a neutral vowel. Real-world listening will reveal regional drift in vowel height and length.
The difficulty centers on the short /ɒ/ vowel and the quick transition to a weak /ən/ in the second syllable. Some learners substitute /ɒ/ with /ɑː/ or /ɔ/ in American varieties, creating /ˈkɑːtən/ or /ˈkɔːtən/. Additionally, the final /ən/ can reduce to a syllabic n if spoken quickly, or be fully pronounced in careful speech as /-ən/. To master it, practice the two-syllable rhythm, ensure crisp /t/, and maintain a clear schwa in the second syllable.
In many British varieties, the first vowel in cotton is /ɒ/ (open back rounded vowel, as in 'lot'). In American speech, many speakers use /ɑ/ (open back unrounded) especially in regions with caught-cot merger tendencies, leading to /ˈkɑːtən/ or /ˈkɑtən/. In careful speech or careful fashion contexts, you will hear /ɒ/ more often: /ˈkɒtən/. So, the pronunciation can vary by region and individual speech pattern, but the standard guidance for teaching remains /ˈkɒtən/ for UK and many US pronunciations.
🗣️ Voice search tip: These questions are optimized for voice search. Try asking your voice assistant any of these questions about "Cotton"!
- Shadowing: imitate a native speaker saying “cotton shirt” in 3 speeds: slow, normal, fast. - Minimal pairs: cot- cult, caught- cot? Choose pairs like cot vs cut, but cotton combines two morphemes; instead practice with related words to reinforce the first syllable vowel. - Rhythm: practice trochaic rhythm (DA-da) with /ˈkɒtən/. - Stress practice: always stress the first syllable; practice sentences: “Cotton grows well here.” - Recording: record yourself saying “cotton fibers” and compare to native samples for vowel quality and /t/ crispness.
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