Vowels in front of [r]

The American English [r] differs from other consonants in that it changes the quality of the preceding vowel. For example, [uh] in words such as "fur"is almost inaudible, as if [r] directly followed [f]. Moreover, some vowels do not occur in front of [r] at all. Certain vowel groups seem to "merge" into one "hybrid" vowel in front of [r]. The following examples illustrate this phenomenon. Note that this feature of American English is subjects to considerable variability across dialects.

[iy] and [i] in front of [r]

[iy] and [i] are not in contrast with each other before [r]. The resulting vowel is a little longer than [i] and ends in a kind of off-glide, which sounds almost like [y]. Listen to and repeat the following examples.

Click "PLAY" to hear the words

	[iy] and [i] before [r]
PLAY	here
PLAY	mere
PLAY	beer
PLAY	steer
PLAY	fear
PLAY	deer
PLAY	rear
PLAY	sear
PLAY	spear
PLAY	weird

[e], [ey], and [ae] in front of [r]

[e], [ey], and [ae] are another class of vowels which seem to merge into one before [r]. The resulting vowel is most similar to [e], with a slightly diphthongal quality. Try pronouncing the following words with the vowel [e] followed directly by [r].

Click "PLAY" to hear the words

	[e], [ey], and [ae] before [r]
PLAY	merry
PLAY	dare
PLAY	Mary
PLAY	stairs
PLAY	carry
PLAY	married
PLAY	Larry
PLAY	Eric
PLAY	fairy
PLAY	Sarah

[u] and [uw] in front of [r]

[u] and [uw] merge into a vowel most similar to [u]. For the following words, try saying [u] and roll your tongue back directly to [r].

Click "PLAY" to hear the words

	[u] and [uw] before [r]
PLAY	tour
PLAY	pour
PLAY	lure
PLAY	endure
PLAY	mature
PLAY	sure

[o] and [ow] in front of [r]

[o] and [ow] merge into a kind of [ow] sound in many dialects of American English. Try pronouncing the following words as though [r] was preceded directly by [ow].

Click "PLAY" to hear the words

	[o] and [ow] before [r]
PLAY	core
PLAY	more
PLAY	door
PLAY	store
PLAY	George
PLAY	bore

[a] in front of [r]

[a] does not change much before [r].

Click "PLAY" to hear the words

	[a] before [r]
PLAY	car
PLAY	Mark
PLAY	star
PLAY	arm
PLAY	barn
PLAY	card
PLAY	lark
PLAY	park
PLAY	dark
PLAY	Barb

[uh] in front of [r]

[uh] gets an interesting quality before [r]. The best way to pronounce it is to imagine that it is not there - simply move your tongue directly to [r] after you make the preceding consonant sound. However, [uhr] and [er] are easy confuse. The following examples illustrate the contrast.

Click "PLAY" to hear the words

	[uh] ~ [e] in front of [r]
PLAY	fur ~ fare
PLAY	Murray ~ merry
PLAY	hurry ~ hairy
PLAY	blur ~ Blair
PLAY	curd ~ cared
PLAY	stir ~ stare
PLAY	purr ~ pair
PLAY	bird ~ bear

Tongue Twisters

Click "PLAY" to hear the utterances. Try to repeat after the model.

PLAY	Mark drove the car through George's barn.
PLAY	Mary married a merry man in a nearby church.
PLAY	Barry drinks more beer here than in the bar.
PLAY	Karin dared to burn the curry in a hurry.
PLAY	Dorothy called store and ordered more beer for the party.