How To Pronounce Spear

spear

Phonemic

/spɪə/

Phonetic

[spɪəʴ]

Phonemic

/spɪr/

In British English, spear is pronounced /spɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [spɪəʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /spɪr/.

Spear 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

spɪə

Spear has one syllable in British English.

spear + -s

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

/spɪəz/

/spɪrz/

spear + -ed

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

/spɪəd/

/spɪrd/

spear + -ing

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

/ˈspɪə.rɪŋ/

/ˈspɪr.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Spear

Questions About Spear

How do you pronounce spear in British English?

In British English, spear is pronounced /spɪə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [spɪəʴ].

How do you pronounce spear in American English?

In American English, spear is pronounced /spɪr/.

Do British and American English pronounce spear the same way?

No. British English has /spɪə/ and American English has /spɪr/.

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