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Linking R words

Non-rhotic accents drop the R at the end of a word, but restore it when the next word starts with a vowel: far has no R, far away does. Many speakers extend this to words with no written R at all. American English pronounces every R regardless, so the effect vanishes.

Accent

15 words · advanced · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.

The words

far
four
more
here
water
better
never
other
order
clear
idea
law
saw
drawing
media

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Canadian raising words
About, house, price, write: the vowel lifts before voiceless consonants. Hear the famous shift.
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-ary and -ory endings
Necessary, laboratory, secretary: Americans keep a full syllable that the British swallow.
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Words spelled differently in US and UK
Aluminium, speciality, oriented: the spelling differs, so the syllable count does too. Hear both.
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Australian vowel words
Day, mate, price, no: the vowels that make Australian English instantly recognisable. Hear them.
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O vowel accent words
Hot, dog, caught, thought: the O vowels split three ways across accents. Hear each version.
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Glottal stop T words
Button, water, bottle: many speakers swap the T for a catch in the throat. Hear where it happens.
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Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.