How To Pronounce Near

near

Phonemic

/nɪə/

Phonetic

[nɪəʴ]

Phonemic

/nɪr/

In British English, near is pronounced /nɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [nɪəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /nɪr/.

Near 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

nɪə

Near has one syllable in British English.

near + -s

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

/nɪəz/

/nɪrz/

near + -ed

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

/nɪəd/

/nɪrd/

near + -ing

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

/ˈnɪə.rɪŋ/

/ˈnɪr.ɪŋ/

near + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈnɪə.rə/

/ˈnɪr.ɚ/

near + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈnɪə.rɪst/

/ˈnɪr.ɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Near

Questions About Near

How do you pronounce near in British English?

In British English, near is pronounced /nɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [nɪəʴ].

How do you pronounce near in American English?

In American English, near is pronounced /nɪr/.

Do British and American English pronounce near the same way?

No. British English has /nɪə/ and American English has /nɪr/.

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