The /ər/ sound can be tricky because there are several ways to spell this sound. For example:
earth [ear] bird [ir] word [or] curtain [ur]
Words with the /ər/ sound
| bird | dirt | hurt | shirt |
| birthday | earth | learn | sir |
| church | earl | lurk | splurge |
| curd | fir | occur | stir |
| curl | firm | pearl | turkey |
| curse | fur | perk | turn |
| curt | heard | purr | word |
| curtain | hurl | reword | work |
Words with similar sounds
| all – earl | charge – church | hall – hurl | saw – sir |
| barn – burn | cord – curd | hard – heard | short – shirt |
| board – bird | core – occur | heart – hurt | store – stir |
| born – burn | course – curse | large – splurge | talk – Turk |
| call – curl | dark – dirt | lark – lurk | torn – turn |
| card – curd | far – fur | lawn – learn | walk – work |
| carton – curtain | farm – firm | park – perk | warm – worm |
| caught – curt | four – fir | Paul – pearl | wart – worth |
Sentences with the /ər/ sound
- The dirty birds squirmed when Kurt perched on the birch tree.
- I heard Burt cursed when he burned his dirty shirt.
- Is it worth the work to reword the first bird story?
- The third bird in the pearl shirt is a turkey.
- Bernie learned to stir the firm worms.
- The bird works on Thursday on 33rd Street.
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