American English Sounds
  • Home
  • Vowels
    • VOWEL CHART
    • Front >
      • /iy/ (see, keep)
      • /ɪ/ (sit, pick)
      • /ey/ (take, name)
      • /ɛ/ (pet, tell)
      • /æ/ (sat, past)
    • Central >
      • /ɜr/ (church, nurse)
      • /ər/ (mother, surprise)
      • /ʌ/ (cup, must)
      • /ə/ (about, undo)
      • /ɑ/ (stop, job)
    • Back >
      • /ʊ/ (good, put)
      • /uw/ (food, soon)
      • /ɔ/ (bought, lost)
      • /ow/ (low, coat)
    • Diphthongs >
      • /ɑɪ/ (light, pie)
      • /ɑʊ/ (cow, loud)
      • /ɔɪ/ (boy, voice)
  • Consonants
    • CONSONANT CHART
    • Lips (Bilabial) >
      • /p/ (peace, price)
      • /b/ (buy, brain)
      • /m/ (map, time)
      • /w/ (wait, win)
    • Lips-Teeth (Labio-dental) >
      • /f/ (fix, friend)
      • /v/ (vase, love)
    • Tongue-Teeth (Dental) >
      • /θ/ (thank, bath)
      • /ð/ (this, breathe)
    • Tongue-Gum Ridge (Alveolar) >
      • /t/ (take, stand)
      • /d/ (day, drive)
      • /s/ (sit, race)
      • /z/ (zoo, these)
      • /l/ (less, sleep)
      • /n/ (nice, man)
    • Tongue-Palate (Palatal) >
      • /ʃ/ (push, show)
      • /ʒ/ (measure, vision)
      • /tʃ/ (choose, match)
      • /dʒ/ (juice, edge)
      • /r/ (rose, borrow)
      • /y/ (yes, young)
    • Tongue-Soft Palate (Velar) >
      • /k/ (kiss, cat)
      • /g/ (gas, green)
      • /ŋ/ (hang, long)
    • Throat (Glottal) >
      • /h/ (help, hand)
  • Resources
    • Pronunciation Vocabulary
    • For Students
    • For Instructors

/r/

LISTEN

listen_to_-r-.mp3
File Size: 258 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

​/r/.../r/.../r/.../r/...
​
rose...borrow...green...far

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
The sound /r/ is a voiced, palatal, liquid consonant.
  • Move the tip of your tongue upwards and backwards, so that it almost touches the top of your mouth. Your tongue should curl slightly, but it should not touch the top of your mouth.
  • Breathe out and let air escape your mouth.
  • Your vocal cords should vibrate.

The consonant /r/ may be at the beginning of a word, in the middle of a word, or at the end of a word. If /r/ is at the end of a word, it has a slightly different sound. To pronounce /r/ at the end of a word (especially after a tense vowel like /iy/ or /ey/), use the vowel /ər/ ("-er") and drop the pitch of your voice in the middle of the vowel. Enunciate the final consonant clearly.
​

pitch_drop_-r-.mp3
File Size: 81 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

Try to hear the /ər/ and pitch drop in these examples.
  • near (NEE-er)
  • stair (STAY-er)
  • fire (FI-er)
  • lure (LU-er)

​​The consonant /r/ can be in these consonant clusters:
  • Beginning of a Syllable
  • End of a Syllable
<
>
r_initial_clusters.mp3
File Size: 279 kb
File Type: mp3
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/kr/ (sometimes spelled “cr”) - kraken, crime
/br/ - break
/dr/ - dream
/tr/ - try
/gr/ - grow
​
/pr/ - prize ​
​/spr/ - spring
/skr/ (“scr”) - script
/str/ - strong
/fr/ - friend​
/θr/ (“thr”) - three

/ʃr/ (“shr”) - shrink
r_final_clusters.mp3
File Size: 600 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

​/rd/ ("rd" / "red" / "rred") - hard, cared, scarred
/rdz/ ("rds") - cords
/rt/ ("rt") - sort

/rts/ ("rts") - parts
/rb/ ("rb") - barb

/rbz/ ("rbs") - herbs 
/rbd/ ("rbed") - garbed
/rp/ ("rp") - sharp
/rps/ ("rps") - warps
/rpd/ ("rped") - burped
/rk/ ("rk," “rc”) - park, arc

/rks/ ("rks" / "rcs") - forks, arcs​
/rkt/ (“rked”) - barked
/rtʃ/ (“rch”) - arch

/rtʃd/ (“rched”) - scorched
/rdʒ/ ("rge”) - large

/rdʒd/ ("rged”) - barged
/rʃ/ (“rsh”) - harsh
​
/rz/ ("rz")- beers
/rs/ ("rse" / "rce") - parse, force
/rst/ ("rst" / “rsed” / “rced”) - worst, parsed, forced
​/rf/ ("rf")- scarf
​
/rfs/ ("rfs") - wharfs
​
/rft/ ("rfed") - barfed
​​/rv/ ("rve") - carve
/rvz/ ("rves") - scarves
/rvd/ ("rved") - carved
​​/rl/ ("rl") - snarl
/rlz/ ("rls") - snarls
/rld/ ("rld") - world
​
/rm/ ("rm") - warm
/rmz/ (“rms”) - charms
/rmd/ (“rmed”) - harmed
/rn/ ("rn") - barn
/rnz/ ("rns")- horns
/rnd/ (“rned”) - warned

​Spelling:
  • "r" - far, run
  • "wr" - wrap, wr​ite
  • "rr" - borrow, marry
  • "re" - more, stare

Grammar Tip:
The sound /r/ is used in the suffixes "-ory" and "-ary." These suffixes are used in some adjectives.
r_grammar1.mp3
File Size: 185 kb
File Type: mp3
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  • introductory
  • complimentary
  • temporary
  • sanitary
The suffix "-ry" also appears in some nouns. When "-ry" is added to a noun or verb, it can mean "place of ____," "activity of ____", "practice of ____," or "collection of ____".
r_grammar2.mp3
File Size: 454 kb
File Type: mp3
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  • treasure --> treasury
  • bake --> bakery
  • rival --> rivalry
  • dentist --> dentistry
  • machine --> machinery
  • rocket --> rocketry







COMPARE

Compare /r/ and /l/:
compare_r-l_1.mp3
File Size: 111 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

/r/.../l/.../r/.../l/.../r/.../l/...

The consonants /r/ and /l/ are both voiced, liquid consonants. However, /r/ is pronounced with the tongue near (but not touching) the roof of your mouth, while /l/ is pronounced with the the tip of the tongue touching the gum ridge.

You can hear the difference between /r/ and /l/ in these words.
compare_r-l_words.mp3
File Size: 158 kb
File Type: mp3
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1. A. rake, B. lake
2. A. grass, B. glass
3. A. mayor, B. mail
4. A. fires, B. files
​5. A. steering, B. steeling
6. A. barked, B. balked

Practice recognizing words with /r/ and /l/ by taking the quiz below.

As extra practice, compare words with and without a vowel+/r/ by taking the quiz below.

PRACTICE

Listen and repeat these words:
words_-r-.mp3
File Size: 547 kb
File Type: mp3
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1. right
2. raise
3. reason
4. really
5. arrow
6. pouring
7. fire
8. world
9. cream
10. praise
11. strange
12. broken
13. address
14. parking
15. support
16. admire
17. scared
18. abbreviate
19. recreation
20. rewarded

Now, practice /r/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
sentences_-r-.mp3
File Size: 1243 kb
File Type: mp3
Download File

1. car - parking - garage
I left my car in the parking garage

2. forecast - predict - rain - tomorrow
The weather forecast is predicting rain tomorrow.

3. afford - rent - borrow
If you can't afford to buy textbooks, you can rent or borrow them.

4. dark - road - drive - carefully
If you're on a dark road, you should drive carefully.

5. fourth - engineering - course
This is the fourth week of my engineering course.

6. brother - warned - strangers
​My brother warned me not to talk to strangers.

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
  • Male 1 (US Midwest - St Louis) - words, sentences
  • Male 2 (US Midwest - Iowa) - words, sentences
  • Male 3 (US Midwest) - words, sentences
  • Female 1 (US Northeast) - words, sentences
  • Female 2 (US Southeast) - words, sentences

Use It!

Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.

Prepare:
When should a child be responsible for doing household chores? Look at the list of chores, and decide on an appropriate age for a child to do each chore. Put the chores into 4 categories: 4-6 years old, 7-10 years old, 10-12 years old, and older than 12.

  • Do laundry
  • Straighten their bedroom
  • Take out recycling
  • Water indoor plants
  • ​Collect trash
  • Collect trash
  • Mop floors
  • Wipe bathroom counters
  • Mow a yard
  • Prepare a meal
  • Sort silverware
  • Empty the dishwasher
  • Dry dishes
  • Sweep porches
  • Do simple repairs
  • Do laundry
  • Straighten their bedroom
  • Take out recycling
  • Water indoor plants
  • Collect trash
  • Mop floors
  • Wipe bathroom counters
  • Mow a yard
  • Prepare a meal
  • Sort silverware
  • Empty the dishwasher
  • Dry dishes
  • Sweep porches
  • Do simple repairs

Record:
​Imagine you are part of a radio program that gives advice to parents. In your recording, explain which chores are appropriate for children in each age group.

©2018-2021, Christine Wingate
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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  • Home
  • Vowels
    • VOWEL CHART
    • Front >
      • /iy/ (see, keep)
      • /ɪ/ (sit, pick)
      • /ey/ (take, name)
      • /ɛ/ (pet, tell)
      • /æ/ (sat, past)
    • Central >
      • /ɜr/ (church, nurse)
      • /ər/ (mother, surprise)
      • /ʌ/ (cup, must)
      • /ə/ (about, undo)
      • /ɑ/ (stop, job)
    • Back >
      • /ʊ/ (good, put)
      • /uw/ (food, soon)
      • /ɔ/ (bought, lost)
      • /ow/ (low, coat)
    • Diphthongs >
      • /ɑɪ/ (light, pie)
      • /ɑʊ/ (cow, loud)
      • /ɔɪ/ (boy, voice)
  • Consonants
    • CONSONANT CHART
    • Lips (Bilabial) >
      • /p/ (peace, price)
      • /b/ (buy, brain)
      • /m/ (map, time)
      • /w/ (wait, win)
    • Lips-Teeth (Labio-dental) >
      • /f/ (fix, friend)
      • /v/ (vase, love)
    • Tongue-Teeth (Dental) >
      • /θ/ (thank, bath)
      • /ð/ (this, breathe)
    • Tongue-Gum Ridge (Alveolar) >
      • /t/ (take, stand)
      • /d/ (day, drive)
      • /s/ (sit, race)
      • /z/ (zoo, these)
      • /l/ (less, sleep)
      • /n/ (nice, man)
    • Tongue-Palate (Palatal) >
      • /ʃ/ (push, show)
      • /ʒ/ (measure, vision)
      • /tʃ/ (choose, match)
      • /dʒ/ (juice, edge)
      • /r/ (rose, borrow)
      • /y/ (yes, young)
    • Tongue-Soft Palate (Velar) >
      • /k/ (kiss, cat)
      • /g/ (gas, green)
      • /ŋ/ (hang, long)
    • Throat (Glottal) >
      • /h/ (help, hand)
  • Resources
    • Pronunciation Vocabulary
    • For Students
    • For Instructors