trap-bath split

UK/ˈtɹæp ˈbɑːθ ˌsplɪt/British, Southern, Standard/ˈtɹap ˈbɑːθ ˌsplɪt/Australia/ˈtɹæp ˈbɐːθ ˌsplɪt/New Zealand/ˈtɹɛp ˈbaːθ ˌsplət/

noun

A vowel split in some varieties of English (such as British English as spoken in southern England, American English spoken in Boston, and Australian, New Zealand and South African English) in which the phoneme /æ/ (AHD: ă), as pronounced in other varieties of English, is pronounced in some words as /ɑː/ (AHD: ä).

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Meanings

nounthe trap–bath split (uncountable)
  1. uncountablehuman sciencesA vowel split in some varieties of English (such as British English as spoken in southern England, American English spoken in Boston, and Australian, New Zealand and South African English) in which the phoneme /æ/ (AHD: ă), as pronounced in other varieties of English, is pronounced in some words as /ɑː/ (AHD: ä).
Cite this entry
APA

trap-bath split. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trap-bath%20split

MLA

“trap-bath split.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trap-bath%20split. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “trap-bath split,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/trap-bath%20split.

Source: trap-bath split on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.