One syllable: car.
kahr
/kɑɹ/
car is pronounced kahr (/kɑɹ/). It has one syllable (car), with the stress on "car". As a noun, a noun referring to a wheeled motor vehicle designed for passenger transport. In everyday speech, the word stands alone or as a modifier (e.g., car keys, car door). It denotes a finite, countable object commonly associated with personal use, travel, and transportation. The term appears in countless phrases and idioms, anchoring discussions about vehicles, driving, and mobility.
nounA noun referring to a wheeled motor vehicle designed for passenger transport. In everyday speech, the word stands alone or as a modifier (e.g., car keys, car door). It denotes a finite, countable object commonly associated with personal use, travel, and transportation. The term appears in countless phrases and idioms, anchoring discussions about vehicles, driving, and mobility.
- You may substitute /k/ with a softer /t/ or the vowel /æ/ as in 'cat', which makes it sound like 'car' in some dialects but wrong in most. To correct, practice saying /k/ with a clean release, then glide into /ɑː/ without jaw tension. - Another frequent error is dropping the /ɹ/ in non-rhotic contexts. If your tongue does not rise to the alveolar ridge, the word will sound like 'ca' or 'car' without the final rhotic. Keep the tongue tip near the alveolar ridge and gently lift as you voice the /ɹ/. - Finally, many pronounce with lip rounding or forward tongue position; instead, maintain a neutral, relaxed mouth with the tongue low and back for /ɑː/ and a controlled, not-tongue-frill /ɹ/.
"I bought a used car last weekend."
"Her car broke down on the highway, so she called a tow truck."
"We parked the car near the museum entrance."
Phonetic core: /kɑːr/ in US and UK, with /r/ rhotacization more pronounced in US. Start with a hard /k/ release, then a back open short vowel /ɑː/ (as in 'cot' without the 't'), and finish with an /ɹ/ approximate final rhotic. In careful speech you’ll hear the /ɹ/ as a distinct coda; in faster speech, especially UK non-rhotic variants, the /r/ may soften or be less pronounced. Hearing a natural pronunciation often involves a light velar plosive + long open back vowel + smooth rhotic release. IPA: US /kɑɹ/ or /kɑːɹ/; UK /kɑː/ (non-rhotic realization may omit /r/ in some contexts). Audio reference: listen to native speakers saying “car” in daily conversation.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing the vowel as a short /æ/ like 'cat', leading to /kæɹ/; (2) Dropping the /r/ in non-rhotic contexts (especially UK) or over-pronouncing it in rhotic contexts; (3) Misplacing lip rounding or jaw position, resulting in a flatter or tenser vowel. Correction: keep the jaw slightly lowered, tongue relaxed, and maintain a long open back vowel /ɑː/ before a crisp /ɹ/. Practice minimal pairs with /kɑː/ vs /kæ/ to train the vowel length and quality before the rhotic /ɹ/.
US: rhotic /ɹ/ present; vowel is a clear open-back /ɑː/ with longer duration before /ɹ/. UK: often non-rhotic; /r/ may be silent or very light in many dialects; vowel may be more pure /ɑː/. AU: generally rhotic but with a broader /ɑː/ and a more relaxed /ɹ/ in some regions. Across accents, the main differences are rhoticity and vowel quality; the word remains short, but final /r/ can be omitted or softened in non-rhotic speech.
The challenge lies in the short, high-impact vowel /ɑː/ for non-native speakers and producing a clean, voiced postalveolar /ɹ/ after a heavy /k/ onset. The sequence /k/ + /ɑː/ + /ɹ/ requires precise tongue position to avoid a mingled, clipped sound or a misarticulated /w/ or /ʊ/ rounding. Mastery comes from controlled jaw drop, relaxed tongue, and a crisp, but not overly forceful, /ɹ/ release.
Focus on the transition from the velar stop /k/ to the open-back /ɑː/ and then to the rhotics. The tip is to start with a firm /k/ release, keep your tongue low and back for /ɑː/, then roll into a gentle /ɹ/ with the tip near the alveolar ridge without excessive lip rounding. In fast speech, shorten the vowel slightly while maintaining the /ɹ/ articulatorily present.
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- US: emphasize rhotic /ɹ/ with a clear, vibrating tip, and a longer /ɑː/ vowel. - UK: allow /r/ to be less pronounced or omitted; bring the vowel closer to /ɑː/ and keep mouth relatively flat with less lip rounding. - AU: vowels are broader; keep the /ɑː/ long, with a natural, not overly rounded /ɹ/ when present. IPA anchors: US /kɑɹ/, UK /kɑː/, AU /kɑː/ depending on region.
The word car derives from the Latin word carrus meaning wagon or cart, later adopted into Old North French as carr, and eventually into English. In the 15th–18th centuries, car began to appear in English to denote carts or smaller wheeled conveyances, gradually expanding to refer to carriages and coaches. By the late 19th century, with the advent of powered road vehicles, car became the general term for motorized passenger vehicles. The shift from primarily horse-drawn carriages to internal-combustion cars solidified in the early 1900s, cementing its place as the everyday word for a personal automobile. The term’s ubiquity in automotive literature, advertising, and colloquial speech cemented its status as a core lexical item in modern English. First known usage in print aligns with the rise of motor vehicles, and the word evolved in parallel with car design, production, and consumer culture.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "car" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "car"
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