Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

always a bridesmaid, never a bride

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.04 in modern English

Syllables: al-ways a brides-maid-, n-ev-er a bride
IPA

46

Scrabble Score

28

Letters

6

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

phrase

Said of a person who has potential that is never fulfilled.

phrase

Said of a woman who has (presumedly) acted as bridesmaid at weddings but has not yet married.

Example Sentences

"Sword Dancer seemed destined to be always a bridesmaid, never a bride, after losing the Kentucky derby by a nose to Tomy Lee and finishing second, beaten four lengths, to Royal Orbit in the Preakness."
""[…]But he was always a bridesmaid, never a bride. He 'assisted.' He wrote pamphlets. He even ghosted biographies for some of the biggies. But he never really got his career off the rocks until Sally died. So he wrote romances for the money.""
"[…]upon Musawi's assassination he was promoted over the head of Sheikh Naim Qassem, to this day Hezbollah's deputy secretary-general—always a bridesmaid, never a bride."

Etymology

Title of an English music-hall song (1917) by Charles Collins. Later used in an advertisement in the US for Listerine mouthwash (implying that the use of mouthwash could improve a woman's chances of marriage).

Inflected Forms

always the bridesmaid, never the bride (alternative)

Phrases

Susan Lucci

Frequently Paired Words

Susan Lucci

Questions

What does always a bridesmaid, never a bride mean?: Said of a person who has potential that is never fulfilled.
Where does always a bridesmaid, never a bride come from?: Title of an English music-hall song (1917) by Charles Collins. Later used in an advertisement in the US for Listerine mouthwash (implying that the use of mouthwash could improve a woman's chances of marriage).

How to pronounce always a bridesmaid, never a bride

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “always a bridesmaid, never a bride”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “always a bridesmaid, never a bride”.
Repeat and practice — Say “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.