Tip for the Week

The "Er" Sound

The 'er' sound for most American English speakers can be spelled as 'er', 'ir', or 'ur', and even as 'or' or 'ar',  especially at the end of words. 

So, in words such as maker, first, burly, mortar, and protector, those spellings sound exactly the same. 


"Er"  is actually more of a vowel sound, and is a short, simple "r" sound, with the tongue curled back but not touching the upper mouth,  with the lips rounded and slightly open, and with a voiced sound from the throat. 


For British English speakers, and some Northeast Americans, the "er" sound is the same as the schwa sound (see the article " 

The website HERE  has an excellent discussion of this sound with a video presentation and many vocabulary examples. Also go HERE and HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwkVuRrWCZg). 

HERE is a great teacher's video lesson on the 'er' sound, but as a bonus, a lesson on the often difficult 'th' sound also!

Happy learning!