Pronunciation: The intrusive /r/

Tim's hard at work in the pronunciation workshop. This time, he's talking about sounds that you can hear, even when they don't - or shouldn't - exist!

Transcript:
Tim
Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here I'm gonna show you how English is really spoken. It'll help you become a better listener and a more fluent speaker. Come on, let's go inside.

Have you ever seen a ghost? No, of course you haven't, because they don't exist. But have you ever heard a sound that wasn't there? Well, if you've listened to lots of real English, you probably have. We asked the people of London what they think is the most important thing the government should prioritise. This is what they said:

Voxpops
I think law and order is important.
Yes, I think law and order is important.
Law and order is very important.
We all think that law and order is important.
I think law and order is very important.

Tim
Meet my boys. 'Law' and 'order'. Join them together with the word 'and' and you can hear another sound after the word 'law'. Listen out for it.

Voxpops
I think law and order is important.
Yes, I think law and order is important.
Law and order is very important.
We all think that law and order is important.
I think law and order is very important.

Tim
In fluent speech, if a word ends in an /ɔː/ sound, like law and the next word begins in an /ə/, you'll often hear a /r/ sound linking them together. Law-r-and order. Law-r-and order. 'Law-r-and order' is easier to say than 'law and order'. It flows better.

And this is called intrusion. Now this is a little bit controversial. It doesn't happen in all accents and some people do say it's not the proper way to speak. But it is something you will hear. Just remember the /r/ sound is not very strong. Here are some other examples:

Examples
Can you draw a circle freehand?
My dog hurt its paw on some broken glass.
There was a flaw in the argument.
I saw a good film last night.

Tim
Right, so you've heard the examples, now it's your turn. Are you ready to give it a try? Listen and repeat.

Examples
Can you draw a circle freehand?
My dog hurt its paw on some broken glass.
There was a flaw in the argument.
I saw a good film last night.

Tim

Now, do you want a war or what? Ow!

[qvrwdqd]

As an American, I distinctly remember recognizing this sound that Brits would often make, but had no name for it. And I would call it out, and everyone would look at me like I was crazy. I can die in peace now.

[jpack]

As an American, I can't force myself to pronounce an r sound, when the letter isn't there. I do, however, have no issue pronouncing the r's that are there!

[HaNguyen-mxil]

Tbh this video and the series of pronunciation save my life. I've struggled with listening tests despite my attempts. Thank you so much.

[caue]

Thank you! I was intrigued with it... "Saw(r)" e "Idea(r)" are two words that pierce my brain whenever I hear it...
I reckon the Irish does that too and very noticeably

[keaton]

As an American English speaker I have never said the intrusive R BUT my grandmother says "warsh" and warshing machine all the time.

[tauwilltriumph]

As a Japanese child psychologist specializing in language acquisition, I found this exploration of intrusive /r/ fascinating. While observing young learners, I've noticed Japanese children often struggle with English /r/ sounds due to phonetic differences – our alveolar flap /ɾ/ versus the English approximant. This intrusion phenomenon might actually help learners perceive word boundaries in connected speech, acting as a natural bridge between vowels. However, explicit instruction about these linking sounds could reduce confusion, especially for auditory learners. It raises interesting questions about whether such phonological patterns should be taught intentionally or acquired naturally through exposure. Thank you for highlighting these nuances of spoken English!

[espeodorii]

The ultimate example of the intrusive r which everyone says is the phrase:
So, the idea(r) is...

[soturac]

Very cool video. As an American English speaker from California, I never understood why British people use an intrusive “R”. It always seemed like an unnecessary sound to my ears. But, it actually demonstrates the beauty, diversity, and many nuances of the English language. Great video! Thank you BBC.

[mazharabbasbukhari]

all these years i was confuse, but now finally BBC helped me out.

[MukYJ]

As an American, and native Washingtonian, intrusive Rs are one of my pet peeves. There are no Rs in the word “wash”.

[christopher]

As an American living in the UK, "Intrusive R" has been driving me bonkers! Although we do have it in the USA as well...

[mattbailey]

This video was awe-r inspiring. I’m so glad I saw-r it.

[poftim]

Pamela Anderson is always the example I use to demonstrate this in my lessons, but her cousin Laura Norder works just as well.

[hanphuong]

Beside learning English, I'm totally fallen in love with the teacher. He's so cute 😍

[eirini]

In Northern Ireland, (where we sort of speak real English) we say 'lawnd order '. That is easier to say than 'law and order' too

[ToanPhan-rsmp]

I also hear an English speaker intruding “r” in a middle of a word. He pronounced “outlawing” as “outloring” which I find quite weird.

[Brigister]

It doesn't only happen with that /ɔː/ sound. it happens with a lot of other vowels at the end of a word and it happens because they make the exact same sound of a vowel followed by and actual R at the end of a word in british english. for example law and war rhyme in BE, same goes for deer and idea. if you pay close attention, even if brits don't normally pronounce their Rs at the end of a word, they do in fact pronounce it when it's followed by a word beginning with a vowel.

[coskuntoktamis]

excellent! I have always puzzled with this intrusive(r) or any other sounds during a conversation;that`s why I sometimes hesitate to speak back for a second or two.!

[bsanaee]

Interesting, I never realized this phenomenon had a name. I guess the level of intrusion varies by speaker? For instance "flaw(r) in the argument" was painfully obvious, but the fellow asking if you can "draw a circle ...", I've listened to it several times and can't detect the phantom 'r' at all.

[mouthwaterofficial]

Old people from Georgia (US) seem to do something similar: Tampar, Alaskar, etc.. but with an American R at the end