eə
The /eə/ sound: air as in hair
- Diphthong
- Glides
- Polish
Hear it
in hair
- Lips
- Relaxed
- Tongue
- Glides to the middle
- Voice
- On
- Length
- Long: one sound that moves
How to make /eə/
- 1
Start with the /e/ of 'bed', mouth slightly more open.
- 2
Relax into a schwa without any r sound (British).
- 3
Hair, there, care.
- Sounds like
- 'eh-uh' blended into one syllable
- British and American
- American English uses /er/ with a clear r: 'hair' = /her/.
How /eə/ is spelled
airereareear
The usual mistake
Replacing it with /ɪə/ so 'hair' sounds like 'here', or adding a hard r. 'Hair/here' and 'fair/fear' are frequent mix-ups.
Words to practise
Say it and get scored
Read hair, there, care, wear, area, parents aloud. Free, no account.
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.