How to pronounce blur
Say it like BLUR. Blur is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce blur. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BLUR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Blur pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BLURSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ur" in nurse.
American vs British pronunciation of blur
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: BLUR.
What does blur mean?
- become glassy; lose clear vision“Her eyes glazed over from lack of sleep”
- to make less distinct or clear“The haze blurs the hills”
- make unclear, indistinct, or blurred“Her remarks confused the debate”“Their words obnubilate their intentions”
- a hazy or indistinct representation“it happened so fast it was just a blur”“he tried to clear his head of the whisky fuzz”
Where does blur come from?
From earlier blurre, probably an alteration of blear, from Middle English bleren, from Old English *blerian (attested in āblered (“made bare, made bald”)), from Proto-West Germanic *blaʀjan, from Proto-Germanic *blazjaną (“to make pale”), f
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with blur
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of blur.
Questions about saying blur
How do you pronounce blur?
Say BLUR. The American pronunciation is /blɝ/. In British English it is /blɜː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in blur?
Blur is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BLUR.
Is blur pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /blɜː/ (BLUR).