Pronunciation: [bɪtɹˈe͡ɪ] (IPA) 
The word "betray" is spelled with the letters b-e-t-r-a-y. The first sound is a voiced bilabial plosive /b/. The second sound is an unvoiced alveolar fricative /t/. The third sound is a voiced alveolar tap /ɾ/. The fourth sound is an unvoiced front open-mid vowel /æ/. The fifth sound is a voiced palatal approximant /j/. The final sound is an unvoiced alveolar plosive /t/. The IPA transcription of "betray" is /bɛtɹej/.
Betray is a verb that refers to the act of being disloyal, unfaithful, or dishonest to someone who trusted or relied on you. It involves breaking a trust or confidence placed in you, often leading to feelings of hurt, disappointment, and a sense of being let down. It can occur in various contexts, such as personal relationships, friendships, professional settings, or even within a group or organization.
When someone betrays another person, they typically act in a way that goes against the person's expectations, revealing secrets, spreading lies, or engaging in actions that cause harm or damage. This can include revealing confidential information, cheating or going against agreed-upon rules, turning against an ally or team, or being disloyal to a partner or friend.
Betrayal often elicits strong negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and a sense of betrayal itself. It can result in strained relationships, broken trust, and cause long-lasting damage to personal or professional connections. The act of betraying someone can have severe consequences, leading to the dissolution of relationships or even legal ramifications, depending on the severity and context of the betrayal.
Overall, betraying involves a breach of trust or loyalty, an act in which a person intentionally harms or deceives someone they are expected to support or protect, causing great disappointment and emotional distress to the betrayed party.
To give into the hands of an enemy by treachery; to be unfaithful to a friend; to violate trust or confidence; to mislead; to entrap.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "betray" originated from the Middle English word "bitrayen", which can be traced back to the Old French word "betrahir". In turn, "betrahir" is derived from the combination of the prefix "be-" (meaning "thoroughly" or "completely") and the verb "trahir" (meaning "to betray" or "to deceive"). The Old French "trahir" can be further traced to the Latin word "tradere", which consists of "trans-" (meaning "across" or "over") and "dere" (meaning "to give" or "to hand over"). Hence, the etymology of "betray" suggests the idea of handing over or giving completely, but in a negative sense, with the connotation of deceit or disloyalty.
