An Introduction to R-Colored Vowels

By Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, licensed speech-language pathologist

(Video Transcript)

R-colored vowels are vowels shaped by the American R sound.

The 6 R-colored vowels

American English has 6 R-colored vowels. Each one has its own lesson.

ER is a single sound with one mouth position. The other five are two sounds blended together, a vowel plus the R, so you should feel your mouth move as you say them.

The R sound in American English is somewhat unique. It is probably the most difficult sound to pronounce in American English, and it can be both a consonant and a vowel. That is a little...confusing. But don’t worry. I’m going to explain it to you in this video because it will help you with your pronunciation to know the basics about the consonant R versus the vowel R. See also: How to Pronounce the OR /ɔɹ/ Vowel.

The American R consonant sound

First, the consonant R. When the letter R comes at the beginning of a word or syllable, like in the words right and arrange, or when it is part of a consonant cluster - when two consonants are next to each other in the same syllable - like the tr cluster in tree or the gr cluster in green, then the R is considered to be a consonant. And you will see this IPA symbol /ɹ/. Or you may see this IPA symbol /r/. Technically, this symbol /r/ is for the trilled R, which does not occur in American English. But some dictionaries will use this symbol /r/ to represent the American R /r/ because it is easier to write than an upside down R. 

The R sound as a vowel

Now the vowel R.  When the letter R comes after a vowel in the same syllable, like in the words bird, year, and forward, the R functions as a vowel, and the vowel plus the R combine into one sound. I’m going to pronounce these words slowly, and I want you to listen to the vowel + the R sound. Biiiirrrrd. Yeeeeaaarrrr. Fooorrrrwoooorrrd. Now I’ll say each sound individually: B IR D. Y EAR. F OR W ER D. The vowel and the letter R combined into one vowel sound. These vowels have a special name - they’re called R colored vowels. 

You should feel movement in your articulators as you say an R-colored vowel because R-colored vowels are made up of two sounds: the vowel plus the R sound. EAR. OORRR. But when you say the vowel ER, like in bird, this R-colored vowel sounds exactly like the R consonant /ɹ/. The biggest difference between the pronunciation of the ER vowel and the R consonant is lip rounding. The R consonant will have more lip rounding than the ER vowel.

American R consonant and ER vowel

Let’s take a closer look at the R consonant, like in the word right, and the ER vowel, like in the word bird. 

Here is the word right in slow motion. Notice how my lips round into a tight circle for the R consonant. Now watch the word bird in slow motion. My lips flare out for the ER vowel, but they aren’t as rounded as they were for the R consonant. Here are the sounds side by side. The left is the R consonant, and the right is the ER vowel. Notice how the R consonant has more lip rounding than the ER vowel.

I hope this video helped to explain the R colored vowels! Now let’s get started with the details of each R-colored vowel, starting with the ER, like in bird and mother.

R-colored vowels: common questions

What is an R-colored vowel?

An R-colored vowel is a vowel shaped by the R sound. In American English, when R comes after a vowel in the same syllable, as in bird, year and forward, the vowel and the R combine into one R-colored vowel.

What is a rhotic vowel?

Rhotic vowel is another name for an R-colored vowel. Rhotic means R-like.

How many R-colored vowels are there in American English?

Six: ER as in bird, AR as in car, OR as in door, AIR as in chair, EAR as in year, and OOR as in tour.

What are the IPA symbols for R-colored vowels?

ER is /ɝ/ when stressed and /ɚ/ when unstressed. The others are written as a vowel plus R: /ɑɹ/, /ɔɹ/, /ɛɹ/, /ɪɹ/ and /ʊɹ/. Some dictionaries use /r/ instead of /ɹ/.

Do British speakers use R-colored vowels?

Most British accents don't. They drop the R after a vowel, so car sounds like cah. Keeping the R after vowels is one of the clearest features of the American accent.

Why is the American R so hard?

It is probably the most difficult sound in American English, because it works as both a consonant and a vowel and the tongue does not touch anything. Start with the ER vowel, then move on to the other five.

ER isn't the only vowel that sounds different than it looks. The AH and UH vowels cause the same kind of confusion, and I walk through both in this comparison.

R-colored vowels are where a lot of speakers plateau. If you want guided practice with them, plus feedback on your own recordings, that's inside the American English Vowels course in English Pro.

For one-to-one help with R-colored vowels, see my private accent reduction coaching.