//

diphthong

The AIR (care) Sound

as in air

How to make the // sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Start with short E…
  2. 2…then fade into schwa.
  3. 3British: "eh-uh". American: short E + R.

⚠ The most common mistake

Tensing into "ay", making "hair" sound like "hay-r".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Japanese, Spanish.

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying air, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with //

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More diphthongs

See all 44 sounds of English →