How to pronounce pear
Say it like PAIR. Pear 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 pear. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- PAIR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Pear pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- PAIRSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of pear
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: PAIR.
What does pear mean?
- An edible fruit produced by the pear tree, similar to an apple but typically elongated towards the stem.
- A type of fruit tree (Pyrus communis).
- The wood of the pear tree (pearwood, pear wood).
Where does pear come from?
Cognate with Scots peer (“pear”), Saterland Frisian Peere, Pere (“pear”), West Frisian par (“pear”), Dutch peer (“pear”), Danish, Greenlandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk pære (“pear”), Faroese, Icelandic pera (“pear”), Swedish päro
Words that rhyme with pear
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of pear.
Words that sound like pear
Questions about saying pear
How do you pronounce pear?
Say PAIR. The American pronunciation is /pɛr/. In British English it is /pɛə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in pear?
Pear is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: PAIR.
Is pear 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 /pɛə/ (PAIR).
What words sound the same as pear?
Pear sounds the same as pair, pare in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.