🔊 These two words sound EXACTLY the same
/hɪər/
Different spelling. Different meaning. Identical pronunciation.
mouth shape
starts with /ɪ/ (relaxed, short) then glides to /ə/ — /ɪər/ like 'fear', 'near', 'year'
hear
/hɪər/
vowel length
location word — 'Come here!' — sounds exactly like 'hear'
mouth shape
identical to hear — /hɪər/ — same diphthong, different meaning
here
/hɪər/
vowel length
Spelling spotlight
hear
contains the word EAR
you HEAR with your EAR
here
spelled with ERE
place word: here, there, where
Key difference
No pronunciation difference — both are /hɪər/: start with a relaxed /ɪ/, glide into /ə/. A helpful spelling trick: hear contains the word ear — you hear with your ear.here contains here, there, where — a pattern for location words.
Example sentences
hear:“Can you hear that music?”
here:“Please come here.”
here:“I live here.”
Hear it in a sentence
“I could barely hear the speaker over the noise of the crowd.”
“Come and sit here beside me — there's plenty of room.”
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.
hear
Hear native speakers say “hear” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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here
Hear native speakers say “here” 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
Word families
hear family ▸
here / there / where pattern ▸
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