R (letter): Difference between revisions

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[[R]] is the 17th letter of the [[English alphabet]]. Its name is pronounced ''ar'' (with that r silent in British English before a consonant or final: ''ah'').
{{subpages}}
: ''See also [[R (programming language)]]''
'''R, r''' is a letter of the [[Latin alphabet]]. It is the eighteenth letter of most variants, being placed after [[Q (letter)|Q]] and before [[S (letter)|S]], as is the case for instance in the [[English alphabet]]. Its English name is pronounced [ˈaː] or [ˈaːɹ], like the word ''are'' (with that '''r''' silent in [[British English]] finally or before a consonant: ''ah'').
 
==Use in English==
==Use in English==
{{:English_spellings/Catalogs/Masterlist}}
'''r''' is rather weak in most varieties of English. Comparing it with the trilled '''r'''’s of Spanish and Italian, the guttural '''r'''’s of French and German, and the two '''r''' sounds of Portuguese, it most resembles single, medial and final Portuguese '''r''', never double or initial guttural. It is pronounced in the front of the mouth (but not so far as Japanese '''r''': the tongue doesn’t go quite so near the teeth): '''réd, rêal, rîce, wrîte''' ''read'' = '''rîght''' ''correct'', '''side, rún, árrow, írritate, érror, cárry, bárrier, wróng, rāther'''.
{{:English spellings/Accents}}
'''r''' can occur before any consonant (but it is rare before '''j''': '''përjury, màrjoram, Màrjorie'''). In [[British English|British]] and [[Commonwealth English]], it is silent before a consonant, though it significantly affects the pronunciation of the preceding vowel: this is sometimes rather confusingly called "post-vocalic" '''r'''; "pre-consonantal" is perhaps clearer. This pronunciation is known as "non-rhotic", i.e. "without '''r'''": '''hàrd, vërse, fïrm, wörd, bŏrn, bürn, heàrt, hëard, cürl, nŏrth, wörk, bïrd, përson, làrge, wård, áfterwards''', pronounced *hàad, etc. And the '''r''' is silent before a vowel in BrE '''îron''' ''metal'' = '''îon''' ''electron''.
As in AmE, '''r''' before consonants is not silent in General American, Scottish, Irish and many other varieties of English, where, in every non-rhotic example given above, the '''r''' is distinctly heard.
'''r''' is very often doubled in the middle of words, especially after '''á''', '''é''' and '''ú''' and before '''ôw''' and '''y''', giving the short sound of the preceding vowel: '''árrow, márrow, búrrow, fúrrow, Térry, Dérry, cúrry, sórry, mérry, márry, hárry, húrry'''.
And also in '''bárrack, bárrier, cárrot, érror, térror, jàrring, bàrring, hárrier, férret'''.
Sometimes it doubles after other sounds: '''für''' + -'''y''' = '''fürry''', and '''wòrry''' (AmE '''wörry''', effect of '''w''' on '''o''').
And  before -'''ed''' and -'''ing''' added to words ending in '''r''': '''stàrring, bàrred''' (cf. '''bŏred''', from '''bŏre''', which ends in '''e''').
But not always: '''véry, árid''', and never after the sound '''ã''': '''fãiry, vãry'''. And in '''táriff''' and '''shériff''', it is the '''f''', not the '''r''', that doubles.
'''rh''', from initial Greek '''r''', occurs at the beginning of some words; the '''h''' is redundant: '''Rhôdes, rhododéndron, rhôdium, rhêsus, rhétoric, rhetórical, rhýthm, rhŷme, rhûbarb, rhápsody, rhêa''' ('''a''' as [[schwa]]: *rìə), '''rheûmatism, rheumátic''', and beware of '''diarrhoêa'''.
'''wr''', too, is, pronounced '''r'''; it too tends to appear at the beginning of words, some very common: '''wrîte''' ''read'' (= '''rîght''' ''correct, side''), '''wróng, wrétch''' ''poor'' (= '''rétch''' ''vomit''), '''wrítten, wréck, wrŷ, awrŷ'''.
The phrases '''rêad and wrîte''' and''' rîght and wróng''' both have '''r'''- followed by '''wr'''-.
'''rw''' is rare and accidental: '''fŏrwards, òtherwise, āfterwards'''.
Initial '''re'''- is pronounced '''ré'''- when part of a long-established word: '''réverie, recolléct, récognise''' (and in '''réctify''', where '''ré''' isn’t actually a prefix) or like an unstressed '''rí'''- : '''recür, revërse, rehëarse, regâle, relŷ, recêive, recoil'''.
But '''re'''-, when less ‘connected’ to the rest of the word, can be stressed equally with the other tonic syllable, as '''rê'''-, in verbs: '''rêcáp, rêdesîgn, rêdo, rêwrîte, rêplây''', and receives sole stress in shorter nouns: '''rêplay, rêtail''', and equal stress in longer nouns: '''rêpercússion, rêdevélopment'''.
===Effect on preceding vowels===
'''r''' before a consonant is not pronounced separately in BrE, nor usually in Australasian or Welsh English, but it is audible in most American, Scottish and Irish pronunciations. It has an important effect on preceding vowels:
'''àr''':  '''bàr,  stàr,  stàrt, làrva, càr, margarìne''' (màrj-), '''stàrve, Càrl, màrk, vãry, stãre''' ''look'' (= '''stãir''' ''step''), '''cãring, nefãrious, wãres''' ''goods'', '''phãraôh, Clãra''' and similarly in: '''ãerial, Ãyrshire''', BrE '''mãyor
'''ãr, ãir''':  '''cãring,  bãre''' ''naked'' = '''béãr''' ''animal'',  '''stãir''' ''step'' = '''stãre''' ''look''  '''wãry, ãir, fãiry
But there is a completely different effect after '''w''': '''wårm, wårning, wårble'''; '''ẁarrant, Ẁarwick''' (= '''ó''', as in '''ẁas, ẁant''', all '''wà''' in American English)
'''ër''': '''për,  përson,  dërvish,  nërvous, fërn, bërth''' ''ship'' (= '''bïrth''' ''born''), '''vërve, përson, prefër''' - but most often unstressed as in '''bútter'''
'''êar''' has three sounds:
:1.  usually = '''êer''': '''clêar, hêar, wêary, êar, fêar, nêar,  bêard,  dêar''' ''loved, expensive''
:2.= '''ër''': '''hëard, ëarly, dëarth, ëarth, lëarn, pëarl
:3.= '''àr''': '''heàrt, heàrth
'''êer''' = '''êar''' (1): '''stêer, dêer''' ''animal'', '''quêer, bêer, shêer''' ''absolute'' (= '''shêar''' ''shears''),  '''vêer,  dêer''',  ('''sêer''' is two syllables: *sê-er)
'''êir''': '''wêir''' ''water'' = '''Wêir''' ''person'' (= '''wê’re''' ''we are''),  '''wêird
'''eùr''': '''eùro, Eùrope,  áneurism,  neùral'''  (all yù-)
'''ìêr''': '''cavalìêr,  chandelìêr,  fìêrce,  pìêr,  pìêrce''' = '''Pìêrce''' (= '''Pêarce''' = '''Pêirce''' ''persons'')
'''ïr''' = '''ër''': '''gïrl, bïrth, stïr, fïr, dïrt, flïrt
'''ŏar''': '''ŏar,  bŏard,  rŏar,  sŏar''', ''fly'' (= '''sŏre''' ''hurt'')


Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see [[English phonemes]]):  
'''ŏr''': '''ŏr, fŏrt, tŏrch, mŏrning, wŏrn, bŏre  doŏr  nŏrmal  bŏrn''' - but, after '''w''', usually '''ör''': '''wörth, wörd, wörm, wörk, wörse''' (but not in BrE '''wòrry''', AmE '''wörry''')
is rather weak in most varieties of English (compare the trilled r’s of Spanish and Italian or the guttural r’s of French and German, and the two r sounds of Portuguese: it resembles single, medial and final Portuguese r, never double or initial guttural) is pronounced in the front of the mouth (but not so far as Japanese r: the tongue doesn’t go quite so near the teeth): réd, rêal, rîce, wrîte read = rîght, correct, side, rún, árrow, írritate, érror, cárry, bárrier, wróng, rāther.


But it is silent in BrE, before another consonant, although significantly affecting the pronunciation of the preceding vowel (this is sometimes rather confusingly called ‘post-vocalic’ r: pre-consonantal would be more exact): hàrd, vërse, fïrm, wörd, bŏrn, bürn, heàrt, hëard, cürl, nŏrth, wörk, bïrd, përson, làrge, wård, and in îron metal, which in BrE = îon electron.
'''ür''' = '''ïr''' = '''ër''': '''bürn, distürb, hürt, spürn, pürse, fürniture, blür
 
: or as in: '''pûre, allûre, jûry''', AmE '''sûre


It can occur before any consonant, although it is rare before j: përjury, màrjoram, Màrjorie.
: or BrE: '''sůre, assůrance'''; in some varieties of BrE, '''assůre''' sounds just like '''ashŏre


As in AmE áfterwards, r before consonants is not silent in General American, Scottish, Irish and many other varieties of English, where, in every example given above, the r is distinctly heard.
'''ûr''': '''pûre, pûrest, fûry, jûry, rûral, dûring


r is very often doubled in the middle of words, especially after á, é and ú and before ôw and y, giving the short sound of the preceding vowel: árrow, márrow, búrrow, fúrrow, Térry, Dérry, cúrry, sórry, mérry, márry, hárry, húrry.
'''ÿr''': '''mÿrrh, mÿrtle
And also in bárrack, bárrier, cárrot, érror, térror, jàrring, bàrring, hárrier, férret.
Sometimes it doubles after other sounds: für + -y = fürry, and wòrry (AmE wörry, effect of w on o).
And of course before -ed and -ing added to words ending in r: stàrring, bàrred (cf. bŏred, from bŏre, which ends in e).
But not always: véry, árid, and never after the sound ã: fãiry, vãry.


rh from initial Greek r, occurs at the beginning of some words; the h is redundant: Rhôdes, rhodedéndron, rhôdium, rhêsus, rhétoric, rhetórical, rhýthm, rhŷme, rhûbarb, rhápsody, rhêa (a as schwa: *rìə) rheûmatism, rheumátic, and beware of diarrhoêa.
But unstressed at the end of a word, '''r''', sounded in AmE, silent in BrE, can be preceded by any vowel, and this vowel mostly, apart from in monosyllables, has the schwa sound: '''dóctor, véctor, fürther, bürsar, Qátar, lêmur, fêmur'''.  Exceptions to schwa: '''quâsàr, púlsàr'''.


wr, too, is, pronounced r; it too tends to appear at the beginning of words, some very common: wrîte read (= rîght correct, side) wróng, wrétch poor (= rétch vomit) wrítten, wréck, wrŷ, awrŷ.
===Spelling pronunciations===
Rêad and wrîte; rîght and wróng: both r- followed by wr-.
Traditionally, one of the '''r''''s of '''lîbrary''' and '''Fébruary''' is silent (*lîbry, BrE *Fébyury, AmE *Fébyuãry), though nowadays many people pronounce two '''r''''s because of the spelling.


rw is rare and accidental: fŏrwards, òtherwise, āfterwards.
===Anomalous pronunciation===


Initial re- is pronounced ré when part of a long-established word: réverie, recolléct récognise (and in réctify, where ré isn’t actually a prefix) or like an unstressed rí- : recür, revërse, rehëarse, regâle, relŷ, recêive, recoil.
Most English-speakers pronounce the '''''ř''''' in '''''Dvořák''''' as '''zh''', preceded by '''r''' in those varieties of English that pronounce '''r''' before consonants, *Dvǒ(r)zhàk.<ref>The Czech pronunciation, roughly, is the two sounds mixed together simultaneously.</ref>


But re-, when less ‘connected’ to the rest of the word, can be stressed equally with the other tonic syllable, as rê-, in verbs: rêcáp, rêdesîgn, rêdo, rêwrîte, rêplây, and receives sole stress in shorter nouns: rêplay, rêtail, and equal stress in longer nouns: rêpercússion, rêdevélopment.
==Scientific uses==
==Effect on preceding vowels==
r, as we have briefly seen, has an important effect on preceding vowels:


àr: làrva, càr, margarìne (màrj-) stàrve, Càrl, màrk
*''r'': radius
ãr where r is followed by a vowel: vãry, stãre look (= stãir step) cãring, nefãrious, wãres goods, phãraoh (-rô) Clãra
*'''''r''''': position vector
spelt, ãir: ãir, fãiry, stãir (= stãre)
and similarly in: ãerial, Ãyrshire, mãyor
but with a completely different effect after w: wårm, wårning, wårble; ẁarrant, Ẁarwick (= ó, as in ẁas, ẁant)
ër: fërn, bërth ship (= bïrth born) vërve, përson, prefër
ear: 1.  usually = êer: clêar, hêar, wêary, êar, fêar, dêar
2.= ër: hëard, ëarly, dëarth, ëarth
3.= àr: heàrt, heàrth
êer = êar (1): stêer, dêer, quêer, bêer, shêer absolute (= shêar shears)
ïr = ër: gïrl, bïrth, stïr, fïr, dïrt, flïrt
ŏr: ŏr, fŏrt, tŏrch, mŏrning, wŏrn - but, after w, usually ö: wörth, wörd, wörm, wörk, wörse
(but not in wòrry)
ür = ïr = ër: bürn, distürb, hürt, spürn, pürse
or as in: pûre, allûre, jûry, AmE sûre
or BrE: sůre, assůrance; in BrE, assůre sounds just like ashŏre.


But unstressed at the end of a word, r, sounded in AmE, silent in BrE, can be preceded by any vowel, and this vowel mostly, apart from in monosyllables, has the schwa sound: dóctor, véctor, fürther, bürsar, Qátar, lêmur, fêmur.  Exceptions to schwa: quâsàr, púlsàr.
==References==
{{reflist}}[[Category:Suggestion Bot Tag]]

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See also R (programming language)

R, r is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the eighteenth letter of most variants, being placed after Q and before S, as is the case for instance in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈaː] or [ˈaːɹ], like the word are (with that r silent in British English finally or before a consonant: ah).

Use in English

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
Common misspellings  

r is rather weak in most varieties of English. Comparing it with the trilled r’s of Spanish and Italian, the guttural r’s of French and German, and the two r sounds of Portuguese, it most resembles single, medial and final Portuguese r, never double or initial guttural. It is pronounced in the front of the mouth (but not so far as Japanese r: the tongue doesn’t go quite so near the teeth): réd, rêal, rîce, wrîte read = rîght correct, side, rún, árrow, írritate, érror, cárry, bárrier, wróng, rāther.

  • The accents show stress and pronunciation (see English spellings): A: sát, mâde, pàrk, cāst (cást/càst), åll, ãir; E: ére, êar, vèin, fërn; I: sít, mîne, skì, bïrd; O: sóng, môde, lòve, wörd, ŏr; OO: moôn, foòt; U: sún, mûse, fùll, pürr; W: neŵ, ẁant; Y: gým, mŷ, keỳ, mÿrrh.

r can occur before any consonant (but it is rare before j: përjury, màrjoram, Màrjorie). In British and Commonwealth English, it is silent before a consonant, though it significantly affects the pronunciation of the preceding vowel: this is sometimes rather confusingly called "post-vocalic" r; "pre-consonantal" is perhaps clearer. This pronunciation is known as "non-rhotic", i.e. "without r": hàrd, vërse, fïrm, wörd, bŏrn, bürn, heàrt, hëard, cürl, nŏrth, wörk, bïrd, përson, làrge, wård, áfterwards, pronounced *hàad, etc. And the r is silent before a vowel in BrE îron metal = îon electron.

As in AmE, r before consonants is not silent in General American, Scottish, Irish and many other varieties of English, where, in every non-rhotic example given above, the r is distinctly heard.

r is very often doubled in the middle of words, especially after á, é and ú and before ôw and y, giving the short sound of the preceding vowel: árrow, márrow, búrrow, fúrrow, Térry, Dérry, cúrry, sórry, mérry, márry, hárry, húrry.

And also in bárrack, bárrier, cárrot, érror, térror, jàrring, bàrring, hárrier, férret.

Sometimes it doubles after other sounds: für + -y = fürry, and wòrry (AmE wörry, effect of w on o).

And before -ed and -ing added to words ending in r: stàrring, bàrred (cf. bŏred, from bŏre, which ends in e).

But not always: véry, árid, and never after the sound ã: fãiry, vãry. And in táriff and shériff, it is the f, not the r, that doubles.

rh, from initial Greek r, occurs at the beginning of some words; the h is redundant: Rhôdes, rhododéndron, rhôdium, rhêsus, rhétoric, rhetórical, rhýthm, rhŷme, rhûbarb, rhápsody, rhêa (a as schwa: *rìə), rheûmatism, rheumátic, and beware of diarrhoêa.

wr, too, is, pronounced r; it too tends to appear at the beginning of words, some very common: wrîte read (= rîght correct, side), wróng, wrétch poor (= rétch vomit), wrítten, wréck, wrŷ, awrŷ.

The phrases rêad and wrîte and rîght and wróng both have r- followed by wr-.

rw is rare and accidental: fŏrwards, òtherwise, āfterwards.

Initial re- is pronounced - when part of a long-established word: réverie, recolléct, récognise (and in réctify, where isn’t actually a prefix) or like an unstressed - : recür, revërse, rehëarse, regâle, relŷ, recêive, recoil.

But re-, when less ‘connected’ to the rest of the word, can be stressed equally with the other tonic syllable, as -, in verbs: rêcáp, rêdesîgn, rêdo, rêwrîte, rêplây, and receives sole stress in shorter nouns: rêplay, rêtail, and equal stress in longer nouns: rêpercússion, rêdevélopment.

Effect on preceding vowels

r before a consonant is not pronounced separately in BrE, nor usually in Australasian or Welsh English, but it is audible in most American, Scottish and Irish pronunciations. It has an important effect on preceding vowels:

àr: bàr, stàr, stàrt, làrva, càr, margarìne (màrj-), stàrve, Càrl, màrk, vãry, stãre look (= stãir step), cãring, nefãrious, wãres goods, phãraôh, Clãra and similarly in: ãerial, Ãyrshire, BrE mãyor

ãr, ãir: cãring, bãre naked = béãr animal, stãir step = stãre look wãry, ãir, fãiry

But there is a completely different effect after w: wårm, wårning, wårble; ẁarrant, Ẁarwick (= ó, as in ẁas, ẁant, all in American English)

ër: për, përson, dërvish, nërvous, fërn, bërth ship (= bïrth born), vërve, përson, prefër - but most often unstressed as in bútter

êar has three sounds:

1. usually = êer: clêar, hêar, wêary, êar, fêar, nêar, bêard, dêar loved, expensive
2.= ër: hëard, ëarly, dëarth, ëarth, lëarn, pëarl
3.= àr: heàrt, heàrth

êer = êar (1): stêer, dêer animal, quêer, bêer, shêer absolute (= shêar shears), vêer, dêer, (sêer is two syllables: *sê-er)

êir: wêir water = Wêir person (= wê’re we are), wêird

eùr: eùro, Eùrope, áneurism, neùral (all yù-)

ìêr: cavalìêr, chandelìêr, fìêrce, pìêr, pìêrce = Pìêrce (= Pêarce = Pêirce persons)

ïr = ër: gïrl, bïrth, stïr, fïr, dïrt, flïrt

ŏar: ŏar, bŏard, rŏar, sŏar, fly (= sŏre hurt)

ŏr: ŏr, fŏrt, tŏrch, mŏrning, wŏrn, bŏre doŏr nŏrmal bŏrn - but, after w, usually ör: wörth, wörd, wörm, wörk, wörse (but not in BrE wòrry, AmE wörry)

ür = ïr = ër: bürn, distürb, hürt, spürn, pürse, fürniture, blür

or as in: pûre, allûre, jûry, AmE sûre
or BrE: sůre, assůrance; in some varieties of BrE, assůre sounds just like ashŏre

ûr: pûre, pûrest, fûry, jûry, rûral, dûring

ÿr: mÿrrh, mÿrtle

But unstressed at the end of a word, r, sounded in AmE, silent in BrE, can be preceded by any vowel, and this vowel mostly, apart from in monosyllables, has the schwa sound: dóctor, véctor, fürther, bürsar, Qátar, lêmur, fêmur. Exceptions to schwa: quâsàr, púlsàr.

Spelling pronunciations

Traditionally, one of the r's of lîbrary and Fébruary is silent (*lîbry, BrE *Fébyury, AmE *Fébyuãry), though nowadays many people pronounce two r's because of the spelling.

Anomalous pronunciation

Most English-speakers pronounce the ř in Dvořák as zh, preceded by r in those varieties of English that pronounce r before consonants, *Dvǒ(r)zhàk.[1]

Scientific uses

  • r: radius
  • r: position vector

References

  1. The Czech pronunciation, roughly, is the two sounds mixed together simultaneously.