How to pronounce you're in American English

IPA /jər/ Syllables 1 · yer

yer

Start here

Americans pronounce you're as yer (/jər/). You'll hear it in sentences like "What is it you're looking for?" or "Are you sure you're ready to order?" — more examples below.

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "you're" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

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.

Unlock the full report in the app

Sound by sound

Every sound in "you're".

1 syllable, 2 sounds. Explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.

y/j/

Lift the middle of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth, but stop just short of touching. /j/ is an approximant, not a stop. The tongue tip stays down, lightly resting near the back of your bottom front teeth. Voice runs through the whole gesture, and the tongue glides smoothly down into the next vowel. The lips stay neutral or pre-shape for the upcoming vowel (rounding early for OO in <em>youth</em>, for example).

er/ər/

Relax your mouth and lift the tongue back and up. Keep the lips neutral.

In real conversation

Hear "you're" in the wild.

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

"Are you sure you're ready to order?"

ar yoo SHUUR yor REH·dee tuh OR·der

"I don't understand what you're trying to say."

ahy dohnt uhn·der·STAND wuht yer TRAHY·uhng tuh SAY

"I really miss you when you're away."

ahy RIH·lee MIHS yuh wehn yer uh·WAY

"Remember to log out when you're finished."

ruh·MEHM·ber tuh LAHG OWT wehn yer FIH·nuhsht

"What is it you're looking for?"

WUHT ihz iht yer LUU·kuhng fer

"You're doing a fantastic job with the project."

yer DOO·uhng uh fan·TA·stuhk JAHB wihth dhuh PRAH·jehkt

Find another

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Search the entire library

Press / anywhere to focus the search box.

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 "you're"?

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 "you're" 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.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Common mistakes

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Every sound in "you're".

Hear "you're" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Looking for a different word or sentence?

Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.

Pronouncing the "R" too clearly.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "you're". Start saying it.