One of the most important pronunciation skills in English is learning to hear and pronounce different vowel sounds. Two vowels that often confuse learners are /ɔː/ and /ɜː/.
These sounds appear in many common words, and mixing them up can change the meaning of what you say. Let’s explore the difference!
How to Distinguish the /ɔː/ vs. /ɜː/ Sounds?
What are /ɔː/ vs. /ɜː/?
| Sound | Description |
|---|---|
| /ɔː/ | A long open-mid back rounded vowel. You round your lips, and your tongue is pulled back. Common in law, saw, thought. |
| /ɜː/ | A long mid-central unrounded vowel. Your tongue is in the center of your mouth, lips relaxed. Common in bird, learn, turn. |
How to Pronounce /ɔː/ vs. /ɜː/?
✅ /ɔː/
-
Lips: Rounded
-
Tongue: Back and mid-low
-
Length: Long
Take a look at the picture below to see how your mouth should be positioned when pronouncing the /ɔː/ sound.
Use the audio example to train your ear for /ɔː/ in “caught.”
✅ /ɜː/
-
Lips: Neutral (not rounded)
-
Tongue: Central, mid height
-
Length: Long
Take a look at the picture below to see how your mouth should be positioned when pronouncing the /ɜː/ sound.
Use the audio example to train your ear for /ɜː/ in “her.”
Tip: /ɜː/ often appears with r after it in American English (/ɝː/), giving it an “r-colored” sound.
Minimal Pairs /ɔː/ vs. /ɜː/ with Example Sentences
✅ four/ fur
-
She’s got four.
-
She’s got fur.
✅ walk/ work
-
She started to walk early.
-
She started to work early.
✅ short/ shirt
-
He wears a short coat.
-
He wears a shirt coat.
Minimal Pair /ʌ/ vs. /ɑː/ List
| /ɔː/ Word (IPA) | /ɜː/ Word (IPA) |
|---|---|
| born /bɔːn/ | burn /bɜːn/ |
| board /bɔːd/ | bird /bɜːd/ |
| cord /kɔːd/ | curd /kɜːd/ |
| form /fɔːm/ | firm /fɜːm/ |
| for /fɔː/ | fur /fɜː/ |
| court /kɔːt/ | curt /kɜːt/ |
| torn /tɔːn/ | turn /tɜːn/ |
| sort /sɔːt/ | shirt /ʃɜːt/ |
| port /pɔːt/ | pert /pɜːt/ |
| walk /wɔːk/ | work /wɜːk/ |
| war /wɔː/ | were /wɜː/ |
| talk /tɔːk/ | Turk /tɜːk/ |
| worn /wɔːn/ | worm /wɜːm/ |