How to tell /ɜː/ and /ə/ apart
Practice the difference between the long stressed vowel /ɜː/ and the short unstressed schwa /ə/.
/ɜː/
Long central (er)
bird /bɜːd/
A long central vowel made with a relaxed, neutral tongue. It is always stressed.
Common mistake: Learners may shorten /ɜː/ or replace it with /e/.
/ə/
Schwa
about /əˈbaʊt/
A very short, neutral vowel found in unstressed syllables.
Common mistake: Learners often make the schwa too strong instead of reducing it.
- •/ɜː/ is long and stressed: bird, word, nurse.
- •/ə/ is short and unstressed: about, teacher, doctor.
- •Reduce unstressed syllables to a quick /ə/.
- •Keep /ɜː/ long and clear.
Minimal pairs
bird/bɜːd/
about/əˈbaʊt/
word/wɜːd/
doctor/ˈdɒktə/
nurse/nɜːs/
sofa/ˈsəʊfə/