English Pronunciation Tip of the Day
Tip 119
Category:
Spelling-to-sound
Author: JAM
<ar>
The spelling ar is a little troublesome. Of course, at the end of a monosyllabic word it represents /A:/, as in bar car far. Word-final are is no problem either. It's always pronounced /e@/, as in care fare stare, except of course in the word are. It's in the middle of words where things get tricky, because the vowel can be either /{/ as in transparent or /e@/ as in parent (it's a very common mistake to pronounce this word /"p{r@nt/).
Here are some more words where the vowel is
/{/:
apparent arid asparagus carol
guarantee haricot (=
/"h{rIk@U/!)
Karen larynx mariner parish saraband
saracen varicose.
The vowel is also /{/ in the prefix <para->, as in parallel paramount parasol and in the ending -arity, as in charity hilarity parity, but notice rarity = /"re@r@ti/.
If the spelling is <arr>, the vowel is nearly always /{/, as in barrel carry parrot, but watch out for /Q/ in quarrel quarry and /A:/ in starry.