Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

-bury

/-bɹi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.89 in modern English

Syllables: -bury
IPA: /-bɹi/

9

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

suffix

A placename suffix indicating a fortified place.

Example Sentences

"Some of these hilltops – Sidbury, Quarley, Danebury and Woolbury – were later, in the sixth and fifth centuries, appropriated for the building of hillforts."

Etymology

From Old English byriġ, the dative case of burg (“fortified place”) (whence borough); doublet of -borough and -burg. Due to the collapse of the case system between Old and Middle English, many placenames retain a fossilized dative form, as places would most commonly have been invoked in the dative (after a preposition in, at, to etc.).

Origin

Source language: Old English

Word Breakdown

Root: byriġ

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /-bɹi/

Synonyms

-borough -boro -burg -burgh

Questions

How do you pronounce -bury?: The recorded pronunciation is /-bɹi/.
What does -bury mean?: A placename suffix indicating a fortified place.
Where does -bury come from?: It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce -bury

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “-bury”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/-bɹi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “-bury”.
Repeat and practice — Say “-bury” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.