# bother

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈbɔðə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #3,672

## Definitions
1. To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
2. To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
3. To feel care or concern; to burden or inconvenience oneself out of concern.
4. To take the trouble, to trouble oneself (to do something).
5. To take the trouble, to trouble oneself (to do something).

## Etymology
Borrowed from Scots bauther, bather (“to bother”). Origin unknown. Perhaps related to Scots pother (“to make a stir or commotion, bustle”), also of unknown origin. Compare English pother (“to poke, prod”), variant of potter (“to poke”). More at potter. Perhaps related to Irish bodhaire (“noise”), Irish bodhraim (“to deafen, annoy”).

## Easily confused with
- **boxer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-boxer)
- **bower** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-bower)
- **boyer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-boyer)
- **butter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-butter)
- **butler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-butler)
- **bowler** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-bowler)
- **bowser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-bowser)
- **bowyer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-bowyer)
- **brother** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-brother)
- **butcher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-butcher)
- **brothel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-brothel)
- **Boucher** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-boucher)
- **brothers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-brothers)
- **bothered** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bother-vs-bothered)
- **both** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/both-vs-bother)
- **Boer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/boer-vs-bother)
- **Bohr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bohr-vs-bother)
- **bathe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bathe-vs-bother)
- **boner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/boner-vs-bother)
- **Botha** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/botha-vs-bother)

## Common misspellings (9)
`bbother`, `bohter`, `botehr`, `botherr`, `bothher`, `bothre`, `botther`, `btoher`, `obther`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bother