
The sounds of R
In English, the letter R has two sounds: an “are” sound, the same as the name of the letter; and an “rr” sound, a short, vowel-less noise. In some languages (e.g., Spanish) the letter R has a third sound, a trill. In Canada this trill is featured in a funny Tim Horton’s promotional ad,
Rrroll up the rrrim to win!
Silent Rs
The letter R may be silent in some dialects (e.g., Boston (US) and some British), where the R is pronounced only if a vowel follows it.
Silent Rs before a consonant (dialect only)
fork
garden
party
Silent Rs at the end of a word, except when the next word begins with a vowel (dialect only)
butter
finger
hear
mother
Note: Students learning English ought to pronounce these Rs.
Fun R words
raggamuffin
rattlesnake
rearrange
reboot
re-record
restraint
revenue
reward
reword
right-of-way
Special reading assignment
’Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
Raspberries are as well-received as roses in midsummer.
Ragamuffin is a fun word. 🙂