/ɚ/
General AmericanUnstressed R-vowel. 'Father' /ˈfɑðɚ/. Like /ɝ/ but weaker.
Common slip: No universal substitution is claimed; compare the recording with the target-accent reference.
See the mouth diagram and controlled set →How to pronounce “Letter”
/ɚ/
This page teaches controlled sound targets from our reviewed catalogue. It does not claim one universal whole-word IPA transcription: the sounds in a word can vary by speaker and target variety.
Reviewed sound focus
Compare generated accent references
These synthesized voices are repeatable reference points, not a claim that every British or American speaker uses one identical form.
Reference: RP (Received Pronunciation)
“letter”
No R sound in “letter”? That’s correct: RP (Received Pronunciation)drops an R that isn’t followed by a vowel (“car” sounds like “cah”).
Reference: General American
“letter”
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Open practice with “letter” already filled in. Automated feedback is an estimate for practice, not a clinical or expert diagnosis.
Hear it in real speech
Real recordings from our search library that contain “letter”.
Public domain
“They don’t know how to read. They don’t know letter sounds.””
General American
From "Citizenship Test Changes Might Require Better English Skills" (2023). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “Citizenship Test Changes Might Require Better English Skills”
Open this clip in General American: They don’t know how to read. They don’t know letter sounds.”Creator video
“the end end with the letter R this R is”
RP
From English with Lucy (opens in a new tab) — “How to Learn a British Accent (Modern RP)” · 384s
Open this clip in RP: the end end with the letter R this R isPublic domain
“There should be no reason that the State Department data should reflect such disparities among similarly situated countries,” the letter read.”
General American
From "Activists Want US to Re-think Student Visa Policies for Africans" (2024). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “Activists Want US to Re-think Student Visa Policies for Africans”
Open this clip in General American: There should be no reason that the State Department data should reflect such disPublic domain
“Now, let's turn to suffixes. A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to the end of a word.”
General American
From "Learn Prefixes, Suffixes to Expand Your Vocabulary" (2017). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “Learn Prefixes, Suffixes to Expand Your Vocabulary”
Open this clip in General American: Now, let's turn to suffixes. A suffix is a letter or group of letters added to tPublic domain
“About 2 million people watched it. “I didn’t realize it was in Ohio until I got the acceptance letter,” she said.”
General American
From "This Miami University Is Not in Florida" (2023). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “This Miami University Is Not in Florida”
Open this clip in General American: About 2 million people watched it. “I didn’t realize it was in Ohio until I gotPublic domain
“Prefixes Let's start with prefixes. A prefix is a letter or a group of letters that we add to the beginning of a word.”
General American
From "Learn Prefixes, Suffixes to Expand Your Vocabulary" (2017). VOA Learning English. Public domain (US government work). — “Learn Prefixes, Suffixes to Expand Your Vocabulary”
Open this clip in General American: Prefixes Let's start with prefixes. A prefix is a letter or a group of letters t
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