How to Pronounce ER
A listener emailed me and expressed his frustration with pronouncing the ER in British English.
It certainly can be tough, and I do my best to share my advice in this episode.
No R?
In British English, we generally don’t pronounce the R sound at the end of a word that is spelt “ER”.
We often use a schwa – this is a lazy sound where you don’t use any muscles or change your mouth position – just let air come out.
The symbol we use is: /ə/
Teacher – /ˈtiːtʃə/
Better – /ˈbɛtə/
Peter – /ˈpiːtə/
Here’s a sentence where the schwa sounds are highlighted.
This present is for my brother. It’s a book about a boy wizard.
In the sentence below, how many schwas can you hear? (Write your answer in the comments)
To survive the cold weather you have to make thorough preparations.
Join Level Up English
Sign up to Level Up English to access online courses and join our global learning community.
Sign Up