OW-ur
/ˈaʊɚ/
Our is pronounced OW-ur (/ˈaʊɚ/). Our is a versatile verb meaning to possess or have as owner or participant, often used in phrases indicating possession or association (e.g.,.
verbOur is a versatile verb meaning to possess or have as owner or participant, often used in phrases indicating possession or association (e.g.,
"We our a small business that focuses on sustainable products."
"In this club, we our seats near the stage for the best view."
"We our the responsibility to ensure accuracy in reporting."
Pronounce it as a diphthong /aʊ/ followed by a rhotacized or schwa-like ending depending on accent. In US English you’ll often hear /ˈaʊɚ/ with a rhotic /ɚ/. In UK/AU, /aʊə/ or /aʊə̯/ is common, with less rhoticity in some dialects. Start with the mouth opening from /a/ to /ʊ/ and finish with a relaxed tongue-root and a soft central vowel. In connected speech, it may reduce toward /aʊɚ/ or /aʊə/. Audio check: listen for a quick, smooth glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ or /ə/ and a single syllable, no strong consonant release after.
Common errors include overemphasizing the /r/ in nonrhotic accents, producing a pure /aʊ/ without the following schwa, and treating it as two separate syllables. To correct: keep /aʊ/ as a diphthong, then lightly vocalize a short /ɚ/ or /ə/ depending on the accent, without adding an extra syllable or a hard consonant. Practice linking to the next word to avoid isolating it.
US: typically /ˈaʊɚ/ with rhotic /ɚ/; UK/AU: /ˈaʊə/ or /ˈaʊə/ with nonrhotic tendencies in some varieties. The vowel glide remains similar but the ending vowel quality shifts; US often compresses the ending to a rhotic schwa, while UK/AU may maintain a clear vowel + schwa sequence and less pronounced rhoticity.
Because it is a short, unstressed diphthong followed by a soft vowel sound that blends with the following word. The challenge is the rapid glide from /aʊ/ to /ə/ or /ɚ/, which changes in connected speech. In some dialects, the /r/ is suppressed or merged, so learners must adjust to varying endings and reduced syllables.
Focus on the diphthong /aʊ/ and the subsequent vowel realization in your target accent. The main distinction is whether the ending carries /ɚ/ (rhotic) or a nonrhotic /ə/ (UK/AU). Practice minimal pairs that differ only in the ending vowel and rhoticity, and ensure smooth assimilation with following words in phrases like 'our team' or 'our plan'.
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US: /ˈaʊɚ/ with rhotic ending; UK/AUS: /ˈaʊə/ or /ˈaʊə/ with weaker rhoticity. Vowel quality shifts: US often maintans rhotic /ɚ/; UK/AU lean toward a longer /ə/ and less pronounced r-coloring. Consonants: the /r/ in US is flapped or approximant-like depending on context; in UK/AU it often disappears in nonrhotic speech. IPA notes: US /aʊɚ/, UK/AU /aʊə/. Lip rounding is minimal, tongue moves from low-mid position to high-front for /aʊ/, then relaxes toward schwa.
Note: The word 'our' as a verb is nonstandard in modern English and may be intended as a verb form in some dialects or historical texts. The standard modern English 'our' is a possessive determiner corresponding to the first-person plural pronoun 'we', used to indicate that something belongs to or relates to us (e.g., 'our house'). The etymology of the standard possessive determiner 'our' traces back to the Old English 'ūra' (genitive form of 'we'), which itself comes from the Proto-Germanic '*ūzō,' with cognates across Germanic languages. Historically, possessive determiners in early English systems varied and could be declined for case and gender; over time, 'our' stabilized in the modern language as a fixed determiner placed before nouns. The verb sense you provided is nonstandard, and in contemporary usage, forms like 'we own' or 'we possess' would be used instead. The emergence of 'our' as a pronoun-adjacent determiner developed in the Middle English period, with 'our' functioning as a possessive determiner before nouns. First known use as a possessive determiner is attested in various Old English texts; the verb sense would have been constructed with modal and periphrastic forms, not as a standalone simple verb. More precise etymological tracing for the verb sense would require a broader corpus review of archival dialects and historical texts where 'our' is used as a verb form in nonstandard contexts.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Our" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Our" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Our"
-our sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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