How to pronounce “sir”
Say “sir” in one beat
sir
/sɝ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /sɜː/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- sirsɝ
- IPA (American)
- /sɝ/
- IPA (British)
- /sɜː/
- Respelling
- SUR
- Syllables
- 1 — sir
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɝ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/sɝ/
/sɜː/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “sir” means
- noun
term of address for a man
- noun
a title used before the name of knight or baronet
Say it in a sentence
“The young waiter greeted the older man politely as sir.”“sir”, answered
How do you pronounce “sir”?
“sir” is pronounced /sɝ/ (SUR) in American English and /sɜː/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /sɝ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “sir” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /sɝ/ — a single beat.
Is “sir” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /sɝ/ (SUR); British English says /sɜː/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “sir” mean?
As a noun: term of address for a man For example: “The young waiter greeted the older man politely as sir.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “sir”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /sɝ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “sir” 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.