How To Pronounce Bear

bear

Phonemic

/beə/

Phonetic

[beəʴ]

Phonemic

/ber/

In British English, bear is pronounced /beə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [beəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ber/.

Bear has one syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

beə

Bear has one syllable in British English.

bear + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/beəz/

/berz/

bear + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈbeə.rɪŋ/

/ˈber.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Bear

Questions About Bear

How do you pronounce bear in British English?

In British English, bear is pronounced /beə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [beəʴ].

How do you pronounce bear in American English?

In American English, bear is pronounced /ber/.

Do British and American English pronounce bear the same way?

No. British English has /beə/ and American English has /ber/.

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