Back to courseStart free 14-day trial
Core minimal pairs
Core minimal pairs for /ɝ/
/ɝ/ is the stressed American r-colored vowel. Curl or bunch the tongue back during the vowel itself — the 'r' isn't a separate sound.
Practice these minimal pairs carefully. If the pair sounds the same in your recording, you're not making the contrast.
Your goal
- Say each pair slowly first — exaggerate the difference.
- Then say each pair at natural speed with the contrast preserved.
- Record and self-check.
/ɝ/r-colored mid-centralArticulator diagram · regional variants · drill ↗
Listen Across Accents
Tap an accent to hear each example. Audio is generated on demand and cached.
bird
word
hurt
Your Turn — 4 exercises
Record yourself and get instant AI pronunciation feedback. Free account required.