toward · toured

toward /tɔːrd/ vs toured /tʊərd/ — similar spelling and length, but the vowel shifts from the open /ɔː/ (like floor) to the rounded /ʊər/ (like poor).

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⠿ reorder

An arrow pointing toward something in the distance

preposition — in the direction of something — 'walk toward the door' · 'moving toward a goal' · also 'towards' (British English)

mouth shape

long /ɔː/ + R — lips round and push forward for /ɔː/ — like 'board', 'cord', 'ford' — the OR pattern in an open syllable

toward

/tɔːrd/

vowel length

long /ɔː/

⠿ reorder

verb (past tense) — went on a tour — 'they toured Europe' · 'the band toured for months' · 'we toured the museum'

mouth shape

diphthong /ʊər/ — lips slightly rounded for /ʊ/ (like 'book') then glide into R — like 'lured', 'cured', 'pure' — NOT the wide /ɔː/ of toward

toured

/tʊərd/

vowel length

short /ʊ/

R-coloured vowel spotlight — lip rounding matters

toward

/tɔːrd/

long /ɔː/ — lips push forward strongly

like: board · cord · ford · more

≠

toured

/tʊərd/

/ʊ/ → looser, glides into R

like: lured · cured · pure · poor

Key difference

Both words end in R, but the vowel before it is different.toward has /ɔː/— a fully rounded, sustained vowel, like the “OR” in “cord” or “board”. Push your lips forward strongly.toured has /ʊər/— a diphthong starting with the looser /ʊ/ (like “book”) then gliding into R, like “lured” or “pure”.

Example sentences

toward:“She walked toward the exit slowly.”

toward:“He is working toward a better future.”

toured:“They toured the old city for three days.”

toured:“The band toured across Europe last summer.”

Hear it in a sentence

“She walked slowly toward the exit, not looking back.”

“They toured the old city on foot over two long afternoons.”

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.

YouGlish↗

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