ER Sound: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The ER sound is written /ɝ/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 6. This guide covers how to make the ER sound, 42 practice words split across initial, medial, and final position, and the errors children make most often.
Example ER words: early, earlier, arrived, original (beginning); first, work, every, understand (middle); her, were, never, over (end).
The r-coloured vowel in bird, her, turn and water. It is written /ɝ/ when stressed (bird, her) and /ɚ/ when unstressed (water, better) — the same sound, differing only in stress, so they are treated as one here. This is a vowel, not the consonant /r/, but it uses the same tricky tongue shape, which is why it is the one vowel that is regularly late.
How to Make the ER Sound
Because it shares its tongue position with /r/, work on this alongside the /r/ sound rather than separately — progress on one usually carries to the other. Either bunch the middle of the tongue up toward the roof of the mouth or curl the tip back; both work, so let your child use whichever they can hold. Watch for it collapsing to "uh" (bud for bird) or gaining a /w/ (wuh).
IPA Symbol: /ɝ/
Most children master the ER sound by age 6. That is late for a vowel — almost every other English vowel is in place by age three. This one takes longer because it uses the same tongue shape as the /R/ consonant, which is the last sound most children master, so the two are usually worked on together.
Common ER Sound Errors
- Substituting the short U sound (Short U as in cup) for the ER sound.
- Substituting the /W/ sound for the ER sound.
- Substituting the broad A sound (Broad A as in father) for the ER sound.
ER Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the ER sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete ER word list.
Initial ER Words
ER at the beginning of words
Medial ER Words
ER in the middle of words
Final ER Words
ER at the end of words
More ER Word Lists & Resources
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