One syllable: Share.
sher
/ʃɛɹ/
Share is pronounced sher (/ʃɛɹ/). It has one syllable (Share), with the stress on "Share". Share (as a noun) refers to a portion of something allocated to or owned by a person or group, or a part of a larger whole that is divided among people. It can also mean the action of giving a portion of something to others or the shared ownership or participation in something. In social contexts, it signals collaboration and mutual involvement. It is pronounced with a single syllable, stress on the word’s vowel, and ends with a soft, /ɹ/ color.
nounShare (as a noun) refers to a portion of something allocated to or owned by a person or group, or a part of a larger whole that is divided among people. It can also mean the action of giving a portion of something to others or the shared ownership or participation in something. In social contexts, it signals collaboration and mutual involvement. It is pronounced with a single syllable, stress on the word’s vowel, and ends with a soft, /ɹ/ color.
- You may lengthen the vowel, turning /ɛ/ into a longer vowel or diphthong. Keep it crisp and time the vowel to be short before the /ɹ/. - You might misplace your tongue, producing a /ʃ/ that’s too forward or too back, causing an off-tune onset. Place the blade behind the upper teeth, lips relaxed, and let the release flow into /ɹ/. - You might accidentally pronounce it as ‘share-uh’ or add a vowel; it’s a one-syllable word. Practice with a fast, clean closure and ending. - For non-rhotic accents, you may omit /ɹ/ and end with a /ə/ or /eə/; keep the ending vowel light and smooth. - Common misreading in rapid speech is to sound like ‘sher’, with a weaker /ʃ/; reinforce with light lip rounding and tongue blade contact.
"We divided the cake into eight shares for the guests."
"Her share of the profits was donated to charity."
"He asked for an equal share of the responsibilities."
Pronunciation: /ʃɛɹ/ (US, commonly written as /ʃeə/ in some contexts) or /ʃeə/ in UK/AU. The initial sound is the voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/ (like ‘sh’ in ship). The vowel is a stressed open-mid sound; in many dialects it’s a near-diphthong with /ɛ/ or /eə/, followed by a light rhotic /ɹ/ in US. Place your tongue high and near the palate, lips unrounded but relaxed; release with a gentle, smooth transition to the trailing consonant. Focus on ending with a soft, relaxed schwa-like or /ɹ/ depending on accent. IPA reference: US / ʃ ɛ ɚ/; UK/AU / ʃ eə /.
Common mistakes include: (1) Overly long vowel, turning /ɪ/ or /ɛ/ into a tense diphthong; keep a short, crisp vowel before the /ɹ/. (2) Dropping the /ʃ/ or softening to /s/; ensure the frictional /ʃ/ onset is clear. (3) Adding an extra rhotic or adding an extra syllable; this word is one syllable. Correction: produce /ʃ/ with the blade of the tongue near the alveolar ridge, then an unstressed, quick vowel to /ɹ/ or /ə/ depending on accent. Practice with minimal pairs like “share” vs “shar” to stabilize the ending.
US: /ʃɛɹ/ with a rhotic /ɹ/, often sounding like a clipped, lightly rhotic vowel. UK: /ʃeə/ with reduced rhoticity, more of a glide to /eə/. AU: /ʃeə/ similar to UK but with potential vowel sharpening and non-rhotic tendencies depending on speaker; quick, smooth ending.
The challenge lies in the vowel nucleus after /ʃ/: the difference between /ɛ/ (as in ‘bed’) and /eə/ (as in ‘air’) and whether a trailing rhotic /ɹ/ is pronounced. In non-rhotic accents, the ending may be a pure /ə/ or /əː/ without an /ɹ/. Additionally, the vowel shift from /ɛ/ to a glide can blur the distinction with ‘shire’ or ‘share’ in some dialects. Focus on a clear /ʃ/ onset and stable vowel nuclei.
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- US: emphasize rhoticity; /ɹ/ color at the end; keep /ɛ/ short and crisp. - UK: reduce rhoticity; glide to /eə/ with unrounded lips, stress on the vowel, minimal rhotic coloring. - AU: often similar to UK but with slight vowel tightening; ensure clear /ʃ/ onset and a nascent /ə/ or /eə/ ending depending on speaker. IPA references: US /ʃɛɹ/; UK/AU /ʃeə/.
The noun share originates from Old English scære, which referred to a cut, portion, or division. This term is cognate with the German Schare and Dutch schaar, alluding to a slice or portion separated from a whole. In Middle English usage, share evolved to denote allotment or portion in contexts like food, land, or profits. The semantic field broadened to include social and communal connotations—what one contributes or receives within a group. By the 16th century, “share” began to appear in business and property contexts, leading to phrases like “share of stock” in modern finance. The core idea persisted: a portion that is divided from a larger entity and assigned to or claimed by someone. The word retains its one-syllable cadence in contemporary usage, but can function across abstract and concrete senses, from physical portions to figurative shares of responsibility or influence. First known written attestations appear in English legal and economic texts, cementing its status as a stable, versatile noun with broad cross-domain utility.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Share" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Share"
-are sounds
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