How to pronounce gear
Say it like GHEER. Gear 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 gear. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- GHEER
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Gear pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- GHEERSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of gear
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: GHEER.
What does gear mean?
- a toothed wheel that engages another toothed mechanism in order to change the speed or direction of transmitted motion
- wheelwork consisting of a connected set of rotating gears by which force is transmitted or motion or torque is changed“the fool got his tie caught in the geartrain”
- a mechanism for transmitting motion for some specific purpose (as the steering gear of a vehicle)
- set the level or character of“She pitched her speech to the teenagers in the audience”
Where does gear come from?
From Middle English gere, a borrowing from Old Norse gervi, from Proto-Germanic *garwijaną (“to prepare”).
Words that rhyme with gear
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of gear.
Questions about saying gear
How do you pronounce gear?
Say GHEER. The American pronunciation is /ɡɪr/. In British English it is /ɡɪə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in gear?
Gear is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: GHEER.
Is gear 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 /ɡɪə/ (GHEER).