er (bird, UK)
/ɜː/
- Language
- English
- Unit
- Vowels
- IPA
- /ɜː/
- Practice words
- 5
Sample pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview
Start with one sample audio file for long vowels - /ɜː/.
Quick tip
Long vowels are held longer. Keep your mouth steady as you pronounce them.
Letters and IPA
Practice words
-
bird
-
girl
-
work
-
learn
-
first
Minimal pairs
- bird / bird/beard
- word / word/ward
- herd / herd/hard
- work / work/walk
- turn / turn/torn
How to produce this sound
Keep your tongue central and fairly still, lips relaxed, and make a long vowel sound.
Common mix-ups
- bird / beard
- her / hair
- term / team
- serve / save
- early / orally
Closest comparison
bird, word, learn, nurse, first
Word of the Day
Today's hand-picked vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation page for English. Bookmark this section — it refreshes every day.
Get one new word every morning
Subscribe to SmartWords daily picks. Choose the topics you want — we send one short email per day.
Keep exploring
Play SmartWords games
Six word games built around our real vocabulary — free in the browser, no install.
Open the game hub →-
Word Sling
Match the center word under time pressure and keep the combo alive.
Play now → -
Word Gate
Fly through the correct gate before the speed ramps up.
Play now → -
Word Ninja
Slice the goal-language words, avoid the main-language decoy, and chase the announced bonus target.
Play now → -
Word Zip
Trace a single path across the board, hit each letter anchor in order, and fill every open cell.
Play now → -
Word Oddity
Pick the word that doesn't belong from a topic-driven set — every tap reveals all four meanings and images so the round becomes a flash-card too.
Play now → -
Word Memory
Flip and match goal-language words to their main-language meaning before your lives run out.
Play now →