/ɪə/

diphthong

The EAR (here) Sound

as in ear

How to make the /ɪə/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Start with short I…
  2. 2…then relax into schwa.
  3. 3British: "ih-uh". American: short I + R sound.

⚠ The most common mistake

Dropping the second half, so "here" sounds like "hee".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Mandarin, Cantonese.

Practice: Record & Compare

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Practice words with /ɪə/

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More diphthongs

See all 44 sounds of English →