The spelling OUR looks simple, but it hides at least four sounds. Learners often reach for the hour sound (OW-er) every time, so journey comes out as JOW-er-nee. That one habit makes several very common words sound wrong.
There is a large, reliable group where OUR is simply the /ɜːr/ vowel of her, bird, and turn. These are usually unstressed or come from French roots, and they are worth learning as a set.
The Rule
In a big family of words, OUR = /ɜːr/, the same central R-vowel as in her: journey, journal, courage, courageous, encourage, flourish, nourish, scourge, courtesy, adjourn. Say her, hold that vowel, and drop it into the middle of the word.
See the Pattern in Action
| Word | OUR sounds like | Example rhyme |
|---|---|---|
| journey /ˈdʒɜːrni/ | /ɜːr/ (as in her) | JUR-nee |
| courage /ˈkɜrɪdʒ/ | /ɜːr/ (as in her) | KUR-ij |
| flourish /ˈflɜrɪʃ/ | /ɜːr/ (as in her) | FLUR-ish |
| hour /aʊər/ | /aʊər/ (different!) | OW-er |
Words to Practice
Common Exceptions
OUR takes other sounds elsewhere. It is /aʊər/ in hour, flour, sour, our, devour; /ɔːr/ in four, pour, court, source, your; and /ʊər/ in tour, detour, gourmet. So OUR is a spelling with several jobs, and journey versus hour is the key contrast to master.
Quick Tips to Remember
Build two mental buckets: the HER bucket (journey, courage, flourish) and the HOUR bucket (hour, flour, sour). When a word comes from French and is unstressed there, it usually lands in the HER bucket. Practice both lists and practice your pronunciation.