How To Pronounce Firm

firm

Phonemic

/fɜːm/

Phonetic

[fɜ̃ːʴm]

Phonemic

/fɝːm/

In British English, firm is pronounced /fɜːm/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [fɜ̃ːʴm]. In American English, it is pronounced /fɝːm/.

Firm 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

fɜːm

Firm has one syllable in British English.

firm + -s

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

/fɜːmz/

/fɝːmz/

firm + -ed

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

/fɜːmd/

/fɝːmd/

firm + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈfɜː.mɪŋ/

/ˈfɝː.mɪŋ/

firm + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.

/ˈfɜː.mə/

/ˈfɝː.mɚ/

firm + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.

/ˈfɜː.mɪst/

/ˈfɝː.mɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Firm

Questions About Firm

How do you pronounce firm in British English?

In British English, firm is pronounced /fɜːm/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [fɜ̃ːʴm].

How do you pronounce firm in American English?

In American English, firm is pronounced /fɝːm/.

Do British and American English pronounce firm the same way?

No. British English has /fɜːm/ and American English has /fɝːm/.

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