How to tell /eə/ and /ɪə/ apart
Practice the difference between the diphthongs /eə/ (as in air) and /ɪə/ (as in ear).
/eə/
Diphthong AIR
hair /heə/
A gliding vowel moving from /e/ to /ə/, as in air.
Common mistake: Learners may confuse /eə/ with /ɪə/ or /ɜː/.
/ɪə/
Diphthong EAR
hear /hɪə/
A gliding vowel moving from /ɪ/ to /ə/, as in ear.
Common mistake: Learners may confuse /ɪə/ with /eə/ or /iː/.
- •/eə/ sounds like 'air': hair, care, where.
- •/ɪə/ sounds like 'ear': hear, here, near.
- •Start /eə/ with an /e/ sound.
- •Start /ɪə/ with an /ɪ/ sound.
Minimal pairs
hair/heə/
hear/hɪə/
air/eə/
ear/ɪə/
fair/feə/
fear/fɪə/