We will finish up the vowels in this lesson by learning the American English “R” vowels.
The /ɝ/ sound
Words
earth, birthday, her, burn, burnt, word, thirty, myrrh, earnest
Comparison
- bud, bird
- but, Burt
- thud, third
Phrases
- Her first nurse works early.
- thirty-third
- Say the word.
- a small world
Song
The /ɚ/ sound
This is similar to the /ɝ/ sound but is only used in unstressed syllables.
Words
father, mother, farmer, doctor, worker, teacher, perform, wonderful
Comparison
Compare American verses British pronunciation of the words above.
- father
- mother
- farmer
- doctor
- worker
- teacher
- perform
- wonderful
Phrases
- Another mother
- father and mother
- you or me
- us or them
The /ɑr/ sound
Words
arm, part, car, hard, gnarly, bark, SARS, afar, ark, charge
Comparison
Compare American verses British pronunciation of the words above.
- arm
- part
- car
- hard
- gnarly
- bark
- SARS
- afar
- ark
- charge
Phrases
- car parts
- hard to mark
- a deck of cards
Song
The /ɜr/ sound
Words
share, aired, chairs, there, their, they’re, hair, hare, pear, bears, barrel
Comparison
Compare American verses British pronunciation of the words above.
- share
- aired
- chairs
- there
- hair
- pear
- bears
Phrases
- hairy bear
- over there
- a pair of pears
- their share
Tongue Twister
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear.
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair.
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?
Song
The /ɪr/ sound
Words
ear, weird, here, hears, peer, tear, jeer, near, mere, rear, we’re
Comparison
Compare American verses British pronunciation of the words above.
- ear
- weird
- here
- hears
- peer
- tear
- jeer
- near
- mere
- rear
Phrases
- have no fear
- I’m all ears.
- ten years
- Hear! Hear!
Song
The /ɔr/ sound
Words
oars, north, roar, more, orange, George, four, fourth, born, door
Comparison
Compare American verses British pronunciation of the words above.
- oars
- north
- roar
- more
- orange
- George
- four
- fourth
- born
- door
Phrases
- four more
- Four score and seven years ago
- born in the north
- The lion roared.
Puzzle
Two Doors
There are two doors. Behind one door is a beautiful horse. Behind the other door is a roaring lion. Each door has a guard. One guard always tells the truth. The other guard always lies. What question can you ask so that you open the right door?
The /ʊr/ sound
I didn’t make a video for this sound here or in the ae Pronunciation app because it isn’t used that frequently in American English. Some people ask for it though because its British English counterpart /ʊə/ is used in quite a few words.
Here are some words that use /ʊə/ in British English:
poor, pure, cure, tour, assure, sure, lure
However, in American English from the above list only “pure” and “cure” (and for some people “sure”) use /ʊr/.
- /ɔr/: poor
- /ur/: tour, lure
- /ɝ/: assure, (sure)
- /ʊr/: pure, cure, (sure)
Other “R” sounds
You can put the /ɚ/ sound after most any vowel. Here are a few more examples for diphthongs:
| 1. eɪr (eɪɚ) | player | mayor | sayer | layer |
| 2. aɪr (aɪɚ) | lier | fire | crier | hire |
| 3. aʊr (aʊɚ) | tower | power | sour | hour |
| 4. ɔɪr (ɔɪɚ) | lawyer | foyer | Sawyer | boy or girl |
| 5. oʊr (oʊɚ) | mower | sower | blower | lower |
Homework
Practice all of the vowels. Do at least 50 and try to get 80% right.
