How to pronounce your in American English

IPA /jər/ Syllables 1 · yer

yer

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Americans pronounce your as yer (/jər/). 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 "your" sounds like yer.

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 yer.

In real conversation

Hear "your" in the wild.

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

"Allow me to demonstrate how this solution addresses your concerns."

uh·LOW mee tuh DEH·muhn·strayt HOW dhihs suh·LOO·shuhn uh·DREH·suhz yer kuhn·SURNZ

"Are you prepared for your performance tomorrow?"

ar yoo pruh·PAIRD fer yor per·FOR·muhns tuh·MAH·roh

"Are you ready to order your food?"

er yuh REH·dee tuh OR·der yer FOOD

"Breathe together and gather your thoughts there."

BREEDH tuh·GEH·dher and GA·dher yer THAHTS DHAIR

"Can you please clean up your bedroom?"

kuhn yoo PLEEZ KLEEN UHP yer BEH·droom

"Congratulations on your promotion which was well deserved indeed!"

kuhn·gra·chuh·LAY·shuhnz ahn yer pruh·MOH·shuhn wihch wuhz wehl duh·ZURVD uhn·DEED

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 "your"?

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

Now you try.

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Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Why "your" sounds like yer.

Hear "your" 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.

Stop reading about "your". Start saying it.