R-Colored Vowel Sound / aɪr / as in 'fire' – American English Pronunciation

The /aɪr/ vowel is different from other r-colored vowels in American English.
First, it consists of three sounds merged together so it may be harder to pronounce. Second, the spelling for this vowel seems simple, but if you consider nouns made from verbs ending with the /aɪ/ sound, it gets complicated: "flyer," "liar" and "denier."

In this video, you'll learn how to make the /aɪr/ sound correctly and find out how to avoid typical pronunciation mistakes. There's a pronunciation exercise recorded by a professional speech therapist to help you practice this sound in most commonly used words.

Quick Links:
• R-Colored vowel /aɪr/, as in "fire:" 00:00
• Recap from the R-colored vowels overview: 00:32
• How to make the /aɪr/ sound: 01:16
• Typical pronunciation mistakes: 03:19
• Pronunciation exercise: 04:55
• Spelling for the /aɪr/ sound: 08:46

Related Videos:
#AmericanPronunciation #VowelSounds #RColoredVowels
► R-Colored Vowel Sounds Overview:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɝ / as in "first":
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɚ / as in "after":
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɪr / as in "hero":
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɛr / as in "chair":
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɑr / as in "car":
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɔr / as in "for":
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / aɪr / as in "fire": this video

[THIS VIDEO HAS ENGLISH, VIETNAMESE, JAPANESE, CHINESE, KOREAN, AND PORTUGUESE SUBTITLES]
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Hello there! This is the "Sounds American" channel.
In this video, we're going to talk about the American R-colored vowel /aɪr/, as in the word "fire."
You can also hear this sound in words like "hire," "wire," "flyer," or "liar."
We'll be using special phonetic symbols — /aɪr/ — for this sound.
Let's recap what we've learned in the R-Colored Vowels Overview video:
• The /aɪr/ is one of the seven American R-colored vowel sounds.
• The /aɪr/ is an R-colored triphthong...
• ...and it's made by merging the /aɪ/ diphthong and the /r/ sound.
• As with all R-colored vowel sounds, the /aɪr/ is often distorted by non-native English speakers.
• The spelling for R-colored vowels could be confusing.

Now, let's find out how to pronounce this R-colored vowel.
Since the /aɪr/ vowel is a triphthong, you need to pronounce three different sounds making a smooth connection between them.
This is how you do that.
Start with making the /ɑ/ sound.
Open your mouth as wide as possible. Relax your lips and allow them to rest in a neutral position.
Now, let's move your tongue into the correct position for the /ɑ/ vowel.
Place your tongue very low in the center of your mouth and make it flat.
The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth.
Next, connect the /ɑ/ to the /ɪ/ sound.
Smoothly move your jaw up, until your mouth is almost closed and push your tongue forward, raising it high in your mouth.
Next, connect the /aɪ/ to the /r/ sound with a long gliding movement.
Slightly round your lips.
Curl back the tip of your tongue.
Now, slightly lower the center of your tongue and raise its back.
Your tongue should be tensed.
Now, let's color the diphthong /aɪ/ with the /r/ and blend the two sounds together: /aɪr/, /aɪr/, /aɪr/.
Let's talk about the most typical mistakes that people make when pronouncing the /aɪr/ sound.
1. Many non-native English speakers reduce the /r/ sound in the /aɪr/ vowel.
This would be fine in British English, but an American accent requires the /r/ to be pronounced.
So, if you reduce the /r/, your American /aɪr/ sound will be distorted and it may lead to misunderstandings.
Compare:
"hire" - "hire"
"liar" - "liar"
2. Some non-native speakers pronounce the /r/ in the /aɪr/, but they trill it. Remember, Americans never trill their R-colored vowel sounds.
Compare:
"hire" - "hire"
"liar" - "liar"
How do you avoid trilling? The tip of your tongue should never touch the alveolar ridge when you pronounce the R-colored sounds.
[Pronunciation exercise]
Now, let's practice the /aɪr/ sound in some words.
Let's begin.
• entire
• tired
• hire
• wire
• tire
• desire
• require
• admire
• retire
• inspired
• acquire
• inspire
• expire
• fireplace
• requirement
• squire
• inquire
• conspire
• desired
• dire
• firewall
• tiresome
• wiretap
• vampire
• empire
• sapphire
• satire
• denier
• dryer
• dyer
• flyer
• fryer
• identifier
• intensifier
• magnifier
• modifier
• multiplier
• purifier
• qualifier
• supplier
You're done! Congratulations!

[victorhernandez]

CONGRATULATIONS: I have seen all of 49 videos. Honestly, if I could, I would recommend these videos to all English students. You did a really great job. Your information is very neat, very clear and very useful. I have NO words to describe the enormous importance that your videos have for me. Really, really thanks.

[benyosef]

I've been speaking English for years, I'm a native Spanish speaker, , now I'm teaching English in South America and I recently found your YouTube page. Your site has been a really helpful one as English pronunciation is a challenge for all beginners, . Thank you for your help

[hannanice]

Before finding your channel, I ignored the existence of colored "R". Now, I feel a little improvement in the way I pronounce this letter. Thank you guys:-)

[internationaldirector]

Helpful tool in teaching phonetics to primary level. Thanks to upload all the best and more power.

[yeeli]

Your videos have helped me so much and felt my confidence are back

[marksenaman]

Thanks a lot...a very clear explanation for those who wants to study english sounds.

[hafiddza]

Thank you for this good lesson. Simple and useful.

[lazumphyuzinmai]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video, it's actually a helpful lesson.

[claudia.mal]

Thank you for this amazing video! You're exceptional!.

[yeeli]

Your video greatest accent reduction in YouTube

[restlessheartonhold]

Thanks so much for the videos as they’re extremely helpful, bravos

[michaelwei]

You're really the best. Thank you that you exist

[josesanabria]

It is a very nice video to improve the english. I like it

[queenieyu]

This is an amazing video, particularly the last question at 10:25, how to resolve the difficulties of speaking word.
Thanks !

[brightminds]

Hi Teacher
Good Job
Very helpful lecture

[vladiboned]

love your videos man! id appreciate it if you made a video about words ending in “rl” like in “girl, earl, etc.” im having a hard time pronouncing the word “girl” i think if you compiled a bunch of words with similar pronounciations id definitely improve and one day id be able to master the dark l sound. thanks a lot!

[garclarke]

Love you videos .Have you published a phonemic chart for the Sounds of America (hint hint). Plus how many different (separate) sounds are there in American (USA) English to know.?

[StupidPurpleDoodle]

The other spelling section is oir and i only know one word that has oir saying ‘aɪr’ which is choir

[liliareyes]

Hi ! Thank you for your videos.
Now I have a problem with the way you formulated your sentence about someone’s question.
You said “someone who calls themselves”. Did I hear it correctly?

Singular -someone
Plural -themselves

Is it because we don’t know if it’s one person or more, because we don’t know if it’s a man or a woman?

[robertoboi]

I have a question, in this R-colored sound is the "ə" somehow present? Btw I'm asking because I think I heard it in all words right before the "r"