Sound Gym
beer · bear · beard · bare
Four words, two vowels — diphthong /ɪər/ versus diphthong /eər/. And a homophone pair hiding inside.
Four words with just two vowel sounds. Beer and beard share /ɪər/. Bear and bare share /eər/ — they are exact homophones. The starting point of the glide is what separates the two groups.
mouth shape
starts with /ɪ/ then glides toward /ə/ — lips relax and jaw drops slightly
beer
/bɪər/
vowel length
the animal · also: to endure / tolerate — 'I cannot bear this heat'
mouth shape
starts with /ɛ/ then glides toward /ə/ — mouth more open than beer
bear
/beər/
vowel length
mouth shape
same vowel as beer (/ɪər/) but ends with /d/ — tongue touches the ridge
beard
/bɪərd/
vowel length
bare = uncovered / empty · homophones: bare sounds exactly like bear
mouth shape
same vowel as bear (/eər/) — bare and bear are homophones (sound identical)
bare
/beər/
vowel length
Key difference
The split happens at the start of the vowel: beer / beard begin with the tongue high (/ɪ/), while bear / bare begin with the tongue lower and the mouth more open (/ɛ/). Both then glide to the same neutral ending /ə/.
Hear it in a sentence
“He ordered a cold beer and sat down by the window.”
“A bear crossed the hiking trail about twenty metres ahead of us.”
“He grew a beard during the winter and kept it through spring.”
“The bare branches of the oak tree stood out against the grey sky.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
beer
Hear native speakers say “beer” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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bear
Hear native speakers say “bear” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
beard
Hear native speakers say “beard” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
bare
Hear native speakers say “bare” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Homophones
⚠️ bear and bare sound EXACTLY the same — both pronounced /beər/. Different spelling, different meaning, identical pronunciation. Context tells you which one is meant.
Word families
beer family ▸
bear family ▸
beard family ▸
bare family ▸
Related pairs
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