Sound Right

/ər/ (ɚ) — the BUTTER R as in butter, water, after

Work in progress: R-colored vowels are the trickiest part of English pronunciation. Some words on this page may show unexpected alignments — we're working on improving accuracy.

What is the BUTTER R?

The BUTTER R is the unstressed r-colored vowel — a quick, relaxed "er" sound that appears in unstressed syllables. It's written as /ər/ (or /ɚ/ in some dictionaries).

Stressed vs unstressed: Compare butter (unstressed /ər/) with bird (stressed /ɜr/). They're the same sound at different stress levels. The unstressed version is shorter and weaker.

Main spelling

⟨er⟩

The most common and predictable spelling, found in word-final position after most consonants.

butter water after never mother father brother sister other better

Unusual spellings

⟨or⟩

Common in words ending in -or, especially agent nouns (people who do things). Learners often expect /ɔr/ but it's pronounced /ər/.

doctor color actor factor author honor mayor anchor

⟨ar⟩

Common in words ending in -ar, especially adjectives. Learners often expect /ɑr/ but it's pronounced /ər/.

dollar sugar popular regular similar grammar

⟨ur⟩

In words ending in -ture (where ⟨t⟩ becomes /tʃ/).

picture nature future culture creature adventure

⟨r⟩

Occasionally after a consonant when the ⟨e⟩ is part of a split digraph.

computer

⟨oar⟩

Just a few words. Note the silent ⟨p⟩ in "cupboard"!

cupboard

⟨yr⟩

Rare spelling from Greek.

martyr

/ər/ vs /ɜr/

Same sound, different stress! /ər/ (BUTTER R) and /ɜr/ (BIRD) are the same r-colored vowel — the only difference is stress level. /ər/ is unstressed (quick, weak), /ɜr/ is stressed (longer, stronger). Compare: butter (unstressed) vs bird (stressed), mother (unstressed) vs murder (stressed first syllable).