ar/ɑr/
Open wide for the 'ah' vowel. Lift the tongue back and up while flaring the lips for the 'r'.
How to pronounce are in American English
ar
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Americans pronounce are as ar (/ɑr/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Are you sure?" or "You are cute" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "are".
1 syllable, 1 sound. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
In real conversation
Hear "are" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"A lot of people are waiting."
uh LAHT uhv PEE·puhl er WAY·duhng
"Advocates are calling for greater diversity in leadership positions."
AD·vuh·kayts er KAH·luhng fer GRAY·der duh·VUR·suh·tee ihn LEE·der·shuhp puh·ZIH·shuhnz
"All of the options are on the bottom of the form."
AHL uhv dhee AHP·shuhnz er AHN dhuh BAH·duhm uhv dhuh FORM
"Although they are brothers, they loathe each other."
ahl·DHOH dhay er BRUH·dherz dhay LOHDH EECH UH·dher
"Antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections like the cold."
an·tee·bahy·AH·tuhks er ih·nuh·FEHK·tuhv uh·GEHNST VAHY·ruhl uhn·FEHK·shuhnz LAHYK dhuh KOHLD
"Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections effectively."
an·tee·bahy·AH·tuhks er YOOZD tuh TREET bak·TEER·ee·uhl uhn·FEHK·shuhnz uh·FEHK·tuhv·lee
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R — the tongue curls back rather than rolling. The R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it, not two separate sounds.
… (no R)→… r (curl the tongue)
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How do I pronounce the R in "are"?
Americans use a relaxed retroflex R: the tongue curls back rather than rolling, and the R is one continuous sound with the vowel before it — not two separate sounds. Don't try to pronounce a separate vowel followed by a separate R. Treat them as a single shape.
Is the American pronunciation of "are" different from British English?
American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "ar" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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