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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “wear”

“wear” is pronounced /wɛɹ/ (WER) in American English and /weə/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “wear” in one beat

Say it like this

wear

/wɛɹ/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /weə/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. wearwɛɹ
IPA (American)
/wɛɹ/
IPA (British)
/weə/
Respelling
WER
Syllables
1 — wear
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɛɹ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/wɛɹ/

British

/weə/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “wear” means

  1. noun

    impairment resulting from long use

    “the tires showed uneven wear”

  2. noun

    a covering designed to be worn on a person's body

  3. noun

    the act of having on your person as a covering or adornment

    “she bought it for everyday wear”

Say it in a sentence

“She likes to wear a scarf during the colder months.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them
wwɛshort eɹr

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“wear”, answered

How do you pronounce “wear”?

“wear” is pronounced /wɛɹ/ (WER) in American English and /weə/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɛɹ/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “wear” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɛɹ/ — a single beat.

Is “wear” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /wɛɹ/ (WER); British English says /weə/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “wear” mean?

As a noun: impairment resulting from long use For example: “the tires showed uneven wear” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “wear”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɛɹ/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “wear” and see every sound

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