her · here · hair

Three R-coloured vowels: /hɜː/ vs /hɪər/ vs /hɛər/ — all start with H, all involve R, yet each is distinct.

Three words, three different vowels — all with /h/ at the start and all involving an R sound. her has a single r-coloured vowel /ɜː/. here diphthong starts high /ɪər/. hair diphthong starts mid-open /hɛər/.

Starting position

her /ɜː/ — tongue curls, lips neutral

here /ɪər/ — starts high /ɪ/, glides down

hair /hɛər/ — starts open /ɛ/, glides toward r

⠿ reorder

pronoun — belonging to her — 'Give it to her' · 'It's her book'

mouth shape

r-coloured vowel /ɜːr/ — tongue curls back, lips neutral, long and sustained — like 'bird', 'word', 'turn'

her

/hɜː/

vowel length

r-colour /ɜːr/

⠿ reorder

A finger pointing down — here, at this place

adverb — at this place — 'Come here!' · 'I live here'

mouth shape

diphthong — starts at short /ɪ/ (high front), glides toward /ər/ — like 'ear', 'fear', 'near'

here

/hɪər/

vowel length

diphthong /ɪər/

⠿ reorder

Hair — strands of hair on a person's head

noun — strands growing from the scalp — 'She has long hair'

mouth shape

diphthong — starts at /ɛ/ (open front), glides toward /ər/ — like 'bear', 'care', 'stare'

hair

/hɛər/

vowel length

diphthong /eər/

Key difference

her /ɜː/: single vowel — tongue curls back, lips neutral, like bird, word. here /ɪər/: starts high and front (like short i), glides to /r/ — like ear, fear. hair /hɛər/: starts open and mid (like short e), glides to /r/ — like bear, care.