non-rhotic

UK/nɒnˈɹəʊtɪk/

adjective

Of an accent, most often one of English: not pronouncing the written letter "r" after a vowel, as in Received Pronunciation, most other accents of England, the Boston accent, traditional NYC English, many accents of southern Louisiana, Australian English, etc.

“In a non-rhotic accent, the word 'sort' can be pronounced like the word 'sought'.”

Opposite
rhotic
OriginEnglish rhotic ← Middle English non- ← Old English nān- →
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Meanings

adjectivenon-rhotic (not comparable)

alternative nonrhotic

  1. not comparableOf an accent, most often one of English: not pronouncing the written letter "r" after a vowel, as in Received Pronunciation, most other accents of England, the Boston accent, traditional NYC English, many accents of southern Louisiana, Australian English, etc.

    In a non-rhotic accent, the word 'sort' can be pronounced like the word 'sought'.

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
rhotic

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*né
  2. Proto-Germanic*ne
  3. Proto-Indo-European*ís?
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁óynos
  5. Proto-Germanic*ainaz
  6. Proto-Germanic*nainaz
  7. Proto-West Germanic*nain
  8. Old Englishnān
  9. Middle Englishnon
  10. Old Englishnān
  11. Old Englishnān-
  12. Middle Englishnon-
  13. Englishnon-
  14. Englishrhotacismbf.
  15. Englishrhotic
  16. Englishnon-rhotic

From non- + rhotic.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish nierotyczny
  • nierotycznyTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

non-rhotic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/non-rhotic

MLA

“non-rhotic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/non-rhotic. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “non-rhotic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/non-rhotic.

Source: non-rhotic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.