Diphthong

NEAR Diphthong / Centering Diphthong

The centering diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "dear", "fear", "clear", and "here". Often called the NEAR vowel. It starts with a high front unrounded vowel /ɪ/ (like in 'sit') and glides towards the central vowel /ə/ (schwa).

Phonetic

ɪə

Voicing

Voiced

Place of Articulation

Front-to-Central

Manner of Articulation

Vowel (Diphthong)

Mouth Position

Start with the tongue high and forward for the /ɪ/ sound, jaw relatively closed. Then, glide the tongue towards the center and lower it slightly while relaxing the jaw for the /ə/ sound. Lips remain relatively neutral throughout.

How to Make This Sound

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Example Words

dearMain Example

dɪə

fear

fɪə

clear

klɪə

here

hɪə

near

nɪə

hear

hɪə

year

jɪə

beer

bɪə

tear

tɪə

appear

əˈpɪə

Pronunciation Practice

11 words

Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation

Quick Practice

3-5 essential words

Full Practice

All 11 words

Minimal Pairs

Listen and compare similar sounds

ɪə

dear

dɪə

Compare with

dare

deə

ɪə

fear

fɪə

Compare with

fair

feə

ɪə

here

hɪə

Compare with

hair

heə

Tongue Twister

Practice: Diphthong

“Dear deer drink clear beer near here every year.”

Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation