How to pronounce “fear”
Say “fear” in one beat
fear
/fɪɹ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fiə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- fearfɪɹ
- IPA (American)
- /fɪɹ/
- IPA (British)
- /fiə/
- Respelling
- FIR
- Syllables
- 1 — fear
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /fɪɹ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/fɪɹ/
/fiə/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “fear” means
- noun
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
- noun
an anxious feeling
“care had aged him”
- noun
a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
“the fear of God”
Say it in a sentence
“She spoke about her fear of flying during the interview.”“fear”, answered
How do you pronounce “fear”?
“fear” is pronounced /fɪɹ/ (FIR) in American English and /fiə/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /fɪɹ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “fear” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /fɪɹ/ — a single beat.
Is “fear” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /fɪɹ/ (FIR); British English says /fiə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “fear” mean?
As a noun: an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight) For example: “She spoke about her fear of flying during the interview.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “fear”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /fɪɹ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “fear” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.