In British English, the r sound is made with the tongue pulled back and the tip touching nothing, and it is said only before a . So you say r in red and very, but not in car, teacher or park. You do say it when a vowel follows, as in 'far away'.
How the English r is made
The English r is not rolled or tapped. It is a smooth, gliding sound. Pull your tongue back a little in your mouth and lift the tip towards the roof, but do not let it touch anything. The sides of the tongue touch your upper back teeth, and your lips are slightly rounded.
Think of the shape you make for a short 'oo' and then move into the next . A quick test is to say 'red' and notice that the tongue tip does not touch the ridge behind the teeth. If the tip taps the ridge, you are making a different sound.
- Tongue tip: pulled back, touching nothing.
- Tongue sides: touching the upper back teeth.
- Lips: slightly rounded.
- Voice: on, and the sound is smooth.
When to say r in British English
In standard British English, you say the r only when a sound comes after it. So r is said at the start of a word (red, road, right), between vowels (very, around, sorry) and after another before a vowel (three, bring, country).
You do not say the r when it comes after a vowel at the end of a word or before another consonant. So the r is silent in car, more, teacher, here, park, bird and work. The vowel still changes: car is /kɑː/, more is /mɔː/, here is /hɪə/, and teacher ends in .
- red · car
- very · park
- three · teacher
- around · here
Linking r
There is one important exception. When a word ends in a written r and the next word starts with a , you do say the r. It links the two words. 'Far away' sounds like 'fa-raway'. 'The teacher is here' has a r in 'teacher is'. 'Four of them' has an r in 'four of'.
Some British speakers also add an r where there is no written r, as in 'the idea of it' or 'law and order'. This is called intrusive r. It is common in natural speech, but you do not need to copy it, and you should not write it.
R and L
For many learners, r and l sound alike, and the pair changes meanings: light and right, lock and rock, long and wrong. For the tongue tip touches the ridge behind the top teeth. For , nothing touches. Learn the difference in your mouth first, then in your ears.
- light and right
- lock and rock
- long and wrong
- glass and grass
- fly and fry
- load and road
Common mistakes
The most common mistake is using a trill or a tap. This is natural in many languages, but in English the sound is smooth. Another mistake is saying the r in every place the letter is written, so that car, teacher and bird have a strong r. Listeners will understand you, but your accent will not follow one clear pattern.
A third mistake is making sound like or . For the lips are tightly rounded and do the work. For the lips are only slightly rounded, and the pulled-back tongue does the work.
A short practice routine
First, make the sound alone: pull the tongue back and say 'rrr' without touching anything. Next, say r before a : ra, re, ri, ro, ru. Then say the words: red, run, rain, room, very, sorry. Finally say phrases with a r: 'a pair of shoes', 'her own idea', 'after eight'.
Record yourself saying 'My teacher said there are four of them.' Listen for a smooth linking r in 'there are' and 'four of', and for no r at the end of 'teacher', because a follows. If your r sounds rolled, relax the tongue, let it hang back, and slow down.
How to make the sound
- Pull your tongue back and lift the tip towards the roof of your mouth. Do not let it touch.
- Let the sides of your tongue rest against your upper back teeth and round your lips slightly.
- Say 'rrr' with your voice on, then glide into a : 'red', 'road', 'right'.
- For , touch the tip to the ridge. The difference is the touch: touches, does not.
Who finds this hard?
- Spanish speakers: Spanish uses a tap or a trill for r, so English words may sound too strong. Relax the tongue, do not tap, and remember that the r is silent at the end of car and teacher.
- Japanese speakers: Japanese r is a quick tap, which English listeners may hear as either r or l. Learners often confuse r and l in light and right. Practise keeping the tongue tip away from the roof for r.
- Korean speakers: Korean uses one sound for both r and l in many places, so right and light are easy to confuse. The main task is to learn two different tongue positions.
- Arabic speakers: Arabic r is a tap or trill. Learners often use it in English, so car and teacher sound too strong. Make the English r smooth and silent at the end of words.
IELTS tip
In the Speaking test, a strong rolled r or a mix-up between r and l can make words like right, road, correct and problem harder to recognise. Practise ten words from your topics, such as around, country, correct and problem, and record them. Check the r is smooth and that you do not say it at the end of words like teacher and computer when a follows.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce r in English?
Pull your tongue back and lift the tip so it touches nothing. Round your lips slightly and use your voice. The sound is smooth, with no tap or roll.
Is the r silent in British English?
It is silent after a at the end of a word or before a , as in car and park. It is pronounced before a vowel, as in red and very, and in links such as 'far away'.
Is it wrong to say the r in car?
Many accents, such as General American and Scottish English, do say it. For this course, we follow British English, where it is silent. Choose one pattern and use it consistently.
Why do I confuse r and l?
Your first language may not separate them. In English, l touches the ridge behind the top teeth and r touches nothing. like light and right help you hear and make the difference.
Sources
- Roach, P. (2009). English Phonetics and Phonology: A Practical Course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- Cruttenden, A. (2014). Gimson's Pronunciation of English (8th ed.). Routledge.