ear (near)
/ɪə/
- Language
- English
- Unit
- Vowels
- IPA
- /ɪə/
- Practice words
- 5
Sample pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview
Start with one sample audio file for diphthongs - /ɪə/.
Quick tip
Diphthongs glide from one vowel position to another in a single syllable.
Letters and IPA
Practice words
-
near
-
year
-
hear
-
dear
-
fear
Minimal pairs
- near / near/gnaw
- fear / fear/far
- dear / dear/doer
- beard / beard/bared
- hear / hear/hire
How to produce this sound
Start with a short relaxed /ɪ/, then glide toward a weak schwa /ə/ without a full break.
Common mix-ups
- near / air
- fear / fair
- dear / dare
- beard / bird
- hear / hair
Closest comparison
near, fear, dear, hear, beard
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