How to pronounce tour in American English

IPA /tʊr/ Syllables 1 · tuur Stress 1st syllable

TUUR

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Americans pronounce tour as TUUR (/tʊr/). The R is one continuous sound with the vowel — the tongue curls back rather than rolling.

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Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

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72% Noticeable accent

Common mistakes

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.

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Why it sounds different

Why "tour" sounds like TUUR.

The "" at the end of "" flows directly into the vowel starting "" — the consonant migrates to the next word with no pause between. This is called the Consonant-to-Vowel Linking, how Americans glue words together so they sound like one phrase. It comes out as TUUR.

In real conversation

Hear "tour" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"Endure the poor tour for the cure."

uhn·DUUR dhuh PUUR TUUR fer dhuh KYUUR

"The band is going on a world tour to promote their new album."

dhuh BAND ihz GOH·uhng ahn uh WURLD TUUR tuh pruh·MOHT dher noo AL·buhm

"The tour group stood in the cool room."

dhuh TUUR GROOP STUUD ihn dhuh KOOL ROOM

"I'm sure the poor tour is pure."

ahym SHUUR dhuh PUUR TUUR ihz PYUUR

"Secure the mature tour for the jury."

suh·KYUUR dhuh muh·CHUUR TUUR fer dhuh JUUR·ee

"Surely, the tour will endure the lure."

SHUUR·lee dhuh TUUR wihl uhn·DUUR dhuh LUUR

Watch out

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.

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 "tour"?

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 "tour" 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 "TUUR" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

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Common mistakes

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Why "tour" sounds like TUUR.

Hear "tour" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

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