dh/ð/
Place your tongue tip between or behind your front teeth, turn your vocal cords on, and push air through the gap.
How to pronounce their in American English
dhair
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Americans pronounce their as dhair (/ðɛr/). You'll hear it in sentences like "Their share of the welfare is fair" or "They said their flight was delayed" — more examples below.
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Sound by sound
Every sound in "their".
1 syllable, 2 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
air/ɛr/
Start with the 'eh' vowel mouth position. Pull the tongue back and up while flaring the lips for the 'r'.
In real conversation
Hear "their" in the wild.
Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.
"Commencement is a proud moment for graduates and their families."
kuh·MEHN·smuhnt ihz uh PROWD MOH·muhnt fer GRA·joo·uhts and dhair FA·muh·leez
"Dolphins are known for their intelligence and playfulness."
DAHL·fuhnz er NOHN fer dhair ihn·TEH·luh·juhns and PLAY·fuhl·nuhs
"He is studying the etymology of words to better understand their meaning."
hee ihz STUH·dee·uhng dhee eh·duh·MAH·luh·jee uhv WURDZ tuh BEH·der uhn·der·STAND dhair MEE·nuhng
"He studies the behavior of animals in their natural habitats."
hee STUH·deez dhuh buh·HAY·vyer uhv A·nuh·muhlz ihn dhair NA·cher·uhl HA·buh·tats
"Let's create a shared document where everyone can contribute their ideas."
LEHTS kree·AYT uh SHAIRD DAH·kyuh·muhnt wair EHV·ree·wuhn kuhn kuhn·TRIH·byoot dhair ahy·DEE·uhz
"May I offer my congratulations to the happy couple on their engagement?"
MAY ahy AH·fer mahy kuhn·gra·chuh·LAY·shuhnz tuh dhuh HA·pee KUH·puhl ahn dhair uhn·GAYJ·muhnt
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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 "their"?
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 "their" 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 "dhair" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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