Lessons Unit 3, lesson 21
ɹ + vowels
The ɹ beginning opening into every vowel it starts words with. Get the mouth ready for ɹ, release straight into the vowel — no gap, no extra sound between them.
What do the marks mean?
Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.
ɹthe r in red
Curl your tongue tip up and slightly back — it touches nothing at all. Round your lips a little: red, run. No rolling, no tapping.
ɹ + every vowel
One row per combination. Tap any word to hear it — every sheet comes straight from the tool.
| ɹ æ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ɹ ɪ | |||
| ɹ ɛ | |||
| ɹ ʌ | |||
| ɹ ɑ | |||
| ɹ iː | |||
| ɹ uː | |||
| ɹ ɔː | |||
| ɹ eɪ | |||
| ɹ aɪ | |||
| ɹ aʊ | |||
| ɹ oʊ |
No trill, no tap
English r never touches the roof of your mouth — curl the tip up and back without letting it make contact, and round your lips slightly, as in red, run, and rich. If your tongue taps or trills, you're using a different language's r; English keeps it floating in the air.
The silent-w spelling trick
Watch the spelling: wrong and wrote both hide a silent w before the r, a leftover from centuries-old spelling that no longer matches the sound. The diphthongs in right, round, and road all keep the same tongue curl through the whole word, from the very first sound to the last.
Read a column slowly, holding the r shape for a full second before releasing into the vowel, then speed back up to normal pace. Try rock and rush back to back and check that your tongue tip never touches anything on the way through.