How To Pronounce Fear

fear

Phonemic

/fɪə/

Phonetic

[fɪəʴ]

Phonemic

/fɪr/

In British English, fear is pronounced /fɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [fɪəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /fɪr/.

Fear 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

fɪə

Fear has one syllable in British English.

fear + -s

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

/fɪəz/

/fɪrz/

fear + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/fɪəd/

/fɪrd/

fear + -ing

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

/ˈfɪə.rɪŋ/

/ˈfɪr.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Fear

Questions About Fear

How do you pronounce fear in British English?

In British English, fear is pronounced /fɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [fɪəʴ].

How do you pronounce fear in American English?

In American English, fear is pronounced /fɪr/.

Do British and American English pronounce fear the same way?

No. British English has /fɪə/ and American English has /fɪr/.

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