How To Pronounce Pair

pair

Phonemic

/peə/

Phonetic

[pʰeəʴ]

Phonemic

/per/

In British English, pair is pronounced /peə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [pʰeəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /per/.

Pair 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

peə

Pair has one syllable in British English.

pair + -s

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

/peəz/

/perz/

pair + -ed

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

/peəd/

/perd/

pair + -ing

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

/ˈpeə.rɪŋ/

/ˈper.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Pair

Questions About Pair

How do you pronounce pair in British English?

In British English, pair is pronounced /peə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [pʰeəʴ].

How do you pronounce pair in American English?

In American English, pair is pronounced /per/.

Do British and American English pronounce pair the same way?

No. British English has /peə/ and American English has /per/.

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