American English sound
/ɛr/: how to pronounce “air” in care, where and their
/ɛr/ is the sound in care, where and their: the vowel of “bed” followed by the American R.
Its spellings vary a lot (care, hair, bear, where, their), and for most Americans Mary, marry and merry all sound the same, with this /ɛr/.
/ɛr/
the “air” sound
How to make the sound
- 1Start with the vowel of “bed”: jaw half open, tongue forward.
- 2Move into the American R, tongue curling back or bunching up.
- 3Keep it one syllable: care, not “kay-er”.
- 4Hold the R to the end of the word.
- Tongue
- mid-front
- Lips
- neutral
- Voice
- voiced
Hear it in words
Tap a word to hear it.
At the start
In the middle
At the end
How it's spelled
- are: care, share, parents
- air: hair, chair, fair
- ear: bear, wear, pear
- ere / eir: where, there, their
Common mistakes
Dropping the R: “cay-uh”
The British pattern. Keep the R in care, where and their.
Two syllables: “kay-er”
Care is one syllable. Glide straight from the vowel into the R.
Using “here” or “car”
A higher vowel turns bear into beer; a lower one turns care into car. Aim for the vowel of bed.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs by one sound. If both words sound the same when you say them, practice this pair.
Try it
“Where are their parents? They're sharing a chair over there.”
Record a sentence and get a score for every sound, /ɛr/ included. Free, no account.
Questions
Do Mary, marry and merry sound different?
For most Americans, no: all three have /ɛr/. Some speakers in the Northeast keep marry with the vowel of cat and Mary with the vowel of say. Both patterns are American.
Do there, their and they're sound the same?
Yes: all three are /ðɛr/. Only the spelling and the meaning differ.