ar/ɑr/
Open wide for the 'ah' vowel. Lift the tongue back and up while flaring the lips for the 'r'.
How to pronounce our in American English
ar
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Americans pronounce our as ar (/ɑr/). You'll hear it in sentences like "We should talk about our options" or "Can we reschedule our appointment?" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "our".
1 syllable, 1 sound. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
In real conversation
Hear "our" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"All contractors must comply with our safety standards while on site."
AHL KAHN·trak·terz muhst kuhm·PLAHY wihth ar SAYF·tee STAN·derdz WAHYL ahn SAHYT
"As per our discussion, I have attached the revised proposal."
az per ar duh·SKUH·shuhn ahy hav uh·TACHT dhuh ruh·VAHYZD pruh·POH·zuhl
"As you can see from this chart, our growth has been consistent."
uhz yoo kuhn SEE fruhm dhihs CHART ar GROHTH huhz bihn kuhn·SIH·stuhnt
"Can we reschedule our appointment?"
kuhn wee ree·SKEH·juhl ar uh·POYNT·muhnt
"Could you please summarize the key points from our discussion?"
kuud yoo PLEEZ SUH·muh·rahyz dhuh KEE POYNTS fruhm owr duh·SKUH·shuhn
"He advocates for sustainable practices to protect our planet."
hee AD·vuh·kayts fer suh·STAY·nuh·buhl PRAK·tuh·suhz tuh pruh·TEHKT ar PLA·nuht
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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 "our"?
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 "our" 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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