One syllable: Tour.
tuur
/tʊɹ/
Tour is pronounced tuur (/tʊɹ/). It has one syllable (Tour), with the stress on "Tour". Tour is a noun meaning a journey or circuit, typically involving visits to several places. It can also refer to a planned route or itinerary for sightseeing or performance. In speech, it often functions as a single-syllable word with a distinct vowel sound and a final rhotacized or non-rhotized ending depending on accent, making its pronunciation a common source of cross-dialect variation.
nounTour is a noun meaning a journey or circuit, typically involving visits to several places. It can also refer to a planned route or itinerary for sightseeing or performance. In speech, it often functions as a single-syllable word with a distinct vowel sound and a final rhotacized or non-rhotized ending depending on accent, making its pronunciation a common source of cross-dialect variation.
- Misplacing the tongue: trying to make a pure /ɔː/ sound without rounding or proper lip posture. Result: flat, dull vowel. Do: round lips slightly and keep tongue high-mid back, pulling back toward the throat. - Overemphasizing the /r/: in rhotic accents you may produce a heavy American-style /ɹ/, which can feel forced in non-rhotic contexts. Do: soften the /ɹ/ and let it be a light, almost non-existent coda in non-rhotic speech. - Speeding up the vowel before the /t/: rushing the vowel can blur the onset and produce a murky vowel. Do: hold the vowel for a beat and then release the /t/ crisply. - Confusing with 'tare' or 'tear': differentiate by vowel height and rounding; keep tongue lower for /ɔː/ and avoid fronting the vowel. - Final consonant handling: in some dialects the /r/ is silent; in rhotic accents you should maintain a smooth /ɹ/. Adjust your mouth accordingly and listen for native input to guide you.
"We took a guided tour of the ancient ruins."
"The concert tour will stop in three cities this summer."
"They mapped out a food-tour across several neighborhoods."
US/UK/AU pronunciation centers on the /t/ onset followed by a short, back-to-front vowel. IPA varies: US /tʊr/ or /tɜːr/, UK /tɔː/ with a near-Schwa mid vowel, AU /tɔː/ or /tʊə/. The final r is typically only rhotic in US and some AU speakers; many UK speakers drop the /r/ in non-rhotic speech. Visualize lip rounding and tongue height: keep the tongue low and retracted from the alveolar ridge, then release smoothly into a short, rounded vowel. Audio examples: (reference: standard pronunciation guides and online dictionaries).
Two frequent errors: (1) reducing to a flat /tɔː/ without the final vowel nuance, and (2) confusing with ‘tore’ or ‘tor’ by misplacing tongue height. Correction: ensure a short, rounded mid-back vowel /ɔː/ or /ʊə/ depending on accent, and maintain a crisp but not forceful /t/ release. Practice by stressing the vowel slightly and finishing with a light, non-syllabic /ɹ/ or silent end depending on dialect.
In US English, you’ll commonly hear /tʊɚ/ or /tɔɚ/ with a rhotic final /ɹ/. In UK English, non-rhotic varieties may yield /tɔː/ with a lengthened vowel and no pronounced /r/. In Australian English, /tɔː/ or /tʊə/ with a slow, rounded mid-back vowel and variable rhoticity. The main differences are vowel height and rhoticity; the onset /t/ remains consistent across accents.
The challenge lies in the vowel, which shifts in height and rounding across accents, and the potential rhoticity or lack thereof. For some speakers, the final /r/ is subtle or silent, while others produce a pronounced /ɹ/. Additionally, fast speech can blur the vowel into a near-central sound. Focus on a controlled, rounded mid-back vowel and a clean release of the /t/ before the vowel onset.
Yes. In many non-rhotic accents (typical of many UK dialects), the final /r/ is not pronounced in careful speech when the word appears before a consonant or end of sentence. Thus you may hear /tɔː/ rather than /tɔːɹ/. In connected speech or in American English where /r/ is pronounced, you’ll hear /tʊɹ/ or /tɔɹ/ depending on vowel height. Be mindful of the speaker’s regional variety to predict rhoticity accurately.
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- US: rhotic /ɹ/ is pronounced; keep the tongue curled lightly and the tip near the alveolar ridge without excessive tension. The vowel often reduces to /ʊ/ or /ɔ/ depending on region, and the final /ɹ/ is pronounced clearly. - UK: non-rhotic tendency; the final /r/ is not pronounced. Vowel tends to be /ɔː/ with larger jaw drop and slight lip rounding. - AU: variable rhoticity; many speakers produce /ɔː/ or /ʊə/ with a lighter /ɹ/; vowel length slightly longer, especially in cautious speech. Use IPA /tʊə/ or /tɔː/ as a reference; softness and rounded lips help with the vowel. - General: always start with a crisp /t/ release, then move into a rounded and mid-back vowel with controlled lip rounding; practice with minimal pairs to anchor the vowel quality across dialects.
Tour derives from Old French tour, meaning a turn, rotation, or circuit, and from Latin tornare, meaning ‘to turn’. The word found its way into English in the late Middle Ages, originally associated with a round or circuit made by a scout, guard, or knight. By the 14th century, tour broadened to include travels for entertainment or observation, especially journeys arranged for sightseeing or performance. The sense of a traveler’s route or itinerary solidified in the early modern period, as commerce and exploration expanded possibilities for organized journeys. The semantic shift from a literal rotation to metaphorical movement through places is well documented in dictionaries from the 1500s onward. Over centuries, tour became a common term in tourism, music tours, and political tours, with pronunciations adapting regionally as English dialects diverged. The contemporary sense of a recreational or professional itinerary for visiting multiple locations coexists with idiomatic uses like a “world tour,” illustrating the word’s flexible, travel-oriented core.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Tour" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Tour" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Tour"
-ure sounds
-oor sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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