How to pronounce buttress
Say it like BUHT-ris. Buttress has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BUHT).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce buttress. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BUHT
- ris
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Buttress pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BUHTSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
- risKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of buttress
American and British speakers say buttress in essentially the same way: /ˈbʌtrɪs/ in the US and /ˈbʌtrəs/ in the UK.
British respelling: BUHT-rus.
What does buttress mean?
- A brick, concrete or stone structure built against another structure to support it.
- Anything that serves to support something; a prop.
- A buttress root.
- To support something physically with, or as if with, a prop or buttress.
- To support something or someone by supplying evidence.
Where does buttress come from?
From Old French ars bouterez (noun, literally “supporting arcs”), from bouterez (adjective), oblique plural of bouteret (rare in the singular), from Frankish *bôtan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying buttress
How do you pronounce buttress?
Say BUHT-ris. The American pronunciation is /ˈbʌtrɪs/. In British English it is /ˈbʌtrəs/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in buttress?
Buttress has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (BUHT). Broken into parts: BUHT · ris.
Do Americans and Brits say buttress the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈbʌtrɪs/ and the British form is /ˈbʌtrəs/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.