One syllable: Worth.
wurth
/wɝθ/
Worth is pronounced wurth (/wɝθ/). It has one syllable (Worth), with the stress on "Worth". Worth as an adjective denotes the value, importance, or usefulness of something, or the extent to which something deserves attention or consideration. It implies that a subject has merit or significance and is deserving of effort or investment. In usage, it often answers the question of whether something is worthwhile or valuable to pursue.
adjectiveWorth as an adjective denotes the value, importance, or usefulness of something, or the extent to which something deserves attention or consideration. It implies that a subject has merit or significance and is deserving of effort or investment. In usage, it often answers the question of whether something is worthwhile or valuable to pursue.
"The fundraiser was worth every minute of effort."
"That vintage jacket is worth a lot of money now."
"It’s not worth worrying about the hiccups—the trip was great."
Worth is pronounced with a single stressed syllable: /wɜːθ/ in UK and Australian English and /wɜrθ/ in US English. Start with a bilabial-labial algebraic lift into /w/, then place the tongue mid-high to produce the open-mid back rounded /ɜː/ (US) or /ɜː/ (UK/AU). End with /θ/, the voiceless dental fricative. Keep the mouth relaxed, and avoid turning it into a longer vowel or a 'wort' sound. If you have a tense jaw, it can become a diphthong; aim for a steady, short vowel followed by the unvoiced interdental fricative. Practice with minimal pairs like worth vs Wirth (name) to calibrate the final fricative.
Two common errors are substituting /ə/ or /ɔː/ for /ɜː/ and replacing the final /θ/ with /f/ or /s/ or a /t/ sound. To correct: keep the nucleus as a mid-central, unrounded vowel /ɜː/ (US /ɜr/ approximations) rather than an open back /ɔː/. For the final /θ/, place the tongue gently between the teeth and blow air; avoid substituting /f/ (which lacks the dental friction) or a stop like /t/ that shortens the fricative. Practice with sentences emphasizing the final /θ/ such as “worth it” and “warth.”
In US English you’ll hear /wɜrθ/, with rhoticity causing a rhotic ending and a slight /ɚ/ coloring in some dialects. UK and AU typically have /wɜːθ/ with a longer, pure /ɜː/ vowel and less rhotic influence. The main difference is vowel length and rhoticity; US speakers often have a marginal /r/ coloring in some regional accents, which can blur toward /wɜrθ/ or /wɝθ/ in rapid speech. The final /θ/ remains a voiceless dental fricative across accents, but some speakers substitute it for a /f/ when in informal speech. Practice across all three: US /wɜrθ/, UK/AU /wɜːθ/.
The difficulty centers on two sounds: the stressed mid-central vowel /ɜː/ (which is not common in all languages) and the final voiceless dental fricative /θ/. The /ɜː/ can be challenging if your native language uses more open vowels or different vowel slots. The /θ/ requires precise tongue placement between the teeth and sustained air release without voicing. Combined, these create a distinct, crisp end sound that many learners find tricky. Focus on a short, centralized nucleus and a light contact for /θ/.
In connected speech, you’ll often hear a slight reduction on the vowel before /θ/ and a final, airy /θ/ sound. A practical tip: practice with phrases like “worth it” and “well worth it,” emphasizing the /ɜː/ and then releasing a crisp /θ/. When speaking quickly, ensure the tongue tip stays between the teeth; avoid tensing the jaw, which makes the /θ/ sound muffled. A small pause or slower tempo can help your mouth adopt the correct timing between nucleus and fricative.
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Worth originates from Old English weorþ or worþ, meaning “worthy” or “deserving.” The word is related to German wert and Dutch waard, all tracing back to the Proto-Germanic *wurþiz, which itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *wer-/*weru-, implying weight, value, or importance. In Old English, wearþ and werþe referred to value or merit and could function as a noun or adjective. Over centuries, the sense narrowed to indicate merit or value in relation to a person or thing, culminating in the modern adjective worth (as in “It is worth it”) and noun usage (the worth of a gem). First known literary attestations appear in medieval English texts, with the concept repeatedly tied to conditional judgments of value, merit, or cost. The semantic evolution reflects broader shifts in economic and social valuation, from tangible price to abstract merit. Today, worth persists as a versatile term, pairing with nouns and adjectives to express qualitative and quantitative value, merit, and importance across idioms (“be worth it,” “of little worth”).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Worth" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Worth"
-rth sounds
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