How To Pronounce Smear

smear

Phonemic

/smɪə/

Phonetic

[smɪəʴ]

Phonemic

/smɪr/

In British English, smear is pronounced /smɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [smɪəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /smɪr/.

Smear 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

smɪə

Smear has one syllable in British English.

smear + -s

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

/smɪəz/

/smɪrz/

smear + -ed

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

/smɪəd/

/smɪrd/

smear + -ing

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

/ˈsmɪə.rɪŋ/

/ˈsmɪr.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Smear

Questions About Smear

How do you pronounce smear in British English?

In British English, smear is pronounced /smɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [smɪəʴ].

How do you pronounce smear in American English?

In American English, smear is pronounced /smɪr/.

Do British and American English pronounce smear the same way?

No. British English has /smɪə/ and American English has /smɪr/.

Search All 10,380 Words In The App

Nearby Words

Learn English and Literature with Adroit Tutors on our website, and order course materials there too.