SpeakMetry
Start free

Pronunciation · diphthong

The /eə/ sound — air as in hair

In short

/eə/ is a centring diphthong: glides from /e/ towards schwa /ə/ — the diphthong you hear in hair, there, care. Like every diphthong, the glide between two positions IS the sound. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.

How to pronounce /eə/

  1. 1Start with the /e/ of 'bed', mouth slightly more open.
  2. 2Relax into a schwa without any r sound (British).
  3. 3Hair, there, care.

Sounds like: 'eh-uh' blended into one syllable

/eə/ in words — with audio

Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

  • hair/heə/ · sound is final
  • there/ðeə/ · sound is final
  • care/keə/ · sound is final
  • wear/weə/ · sound is final
  • area/ˈeəriə/ · sound is initial
  • parents/ˈpeərənts/ · sound is medial

The mistake almost everyone makes

Replacing it with /ɪə/ so 'hair' sounds like 'here', or adding a hard r. 'Hair/here' and 'fair/fear' are frequent mix-ups.

Spellings of /eə/

These letter patterns commonly spell /eə/: air ere are ear. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.

British vs American: American English uses /er/ with a clear r: 'hair' = /her/.

Keep exploring

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce the /eə/ sound?
Start with the /e/ of 'bed', mouth slightly more open. Relax into a schwa without any r sound (British). Hair, there, care.
What is the most common mistake with /eə/?
Replacing it with /ɪə/ so 'hair' sounds like 'here', or adding a hard r. 'Hair/here' and 'fair/fear' are frequent mix-ups.
Which spellings make the /eə/ sound?
Common spellings include “air”, “ere”, “are”, “ear” — as in hair /heə/, there /ðeə/, care /keə/.
Is /eə/ different in American English?
American English uses /er/ with a clear r: 'hair' = /her/. IELTS accepts both — pick one model and stay consistent.
Does /eə/ matter for IELTS?
It is a polish-level sound: errors are audible but rarely stop a listener understanding you. IELTS scores intelligibility, not perfection — prioritise the contrasts that change word meaning.

Next step

Get scored on your /eə/

Record yourself in SpeakMetry's Pronunciation Coach and get instant AI feedback on this exact sound — plus a map of every sound that needs work.

Try it free