The /ɜː/ Vowel (NURSE)
/ɜː/
/ɜː/ is a central half-open unrounded vowel. It is a long monophthong, so it keeps one steady quality.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| bird | /bɜːd/ | /bɝːd/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| girl | /ɡɜːl/ | /ɡɝːl/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| work | /wɜːk/ | /wɝːk/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/ɜː/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.
Allophones Of /ɜː/
/ɜː/ has 3 allophones in the app, starting with [ɜːʴ], after the vowel wherever the spelling has a post-vocalic r. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /ɜː/ Sound
/ɜː/ At The Start Of A Word
/ɜː/ In The Middle Of A Word
- bird
- burn
- burp
- curb
- curl
- curt
- dirt
- fern
- firm
- germ
- gird
- girl
- herb
- herd
- hers
- hurl
- hurt
- lurk
- perk
- term
- turn
- verb
- word
- work
- worm
- alert
- birth
- burst
- chirp
- churn
/ɜː/ At The End Of A Word
- fur
- per
- sir
- purr
- stir
- deter
- incur
- infer
- myrrh
- occur
- refer
- concur
- confer
- milieu
- prefer
- voyeur
- hauteur
- saboteur
- raconteur
- connoisseur
- entrepreneur
- restaurateur
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
How do you describe the vowel /ɜː/?
/ɜː/ is a central half-open unrounded vowel.
Which words have the /ɜː/ sound?
For example bird, girl, work.