If you find the word ‘rarely’ a bit hard to pronounce, you’re not alone. It’s not only the two R sounds at the beginning, but the shift from R to L as well.
There are two syllables in ‘rarely’ and the primary stress is on the first one:
rer-li [IPA: ˈɹɛəɹli].
- rer
Start with the R sound and transition to an r-colored ‘e’. To make an r-colored ‘e’ you begin with an ‘e’ as in ‘bed’ and immediately move to a light R sound. Your focus should be on the vowel and not on the R so make sure that you take your time when pronouncing the ‘e’. - Li
Start with the L sound and move to a tense /i/ as in ‘happy’. It’s the same /i/ as in the word ‘sheep’ only it’s shorter.
Since the transition from the R to the L is a bit challenging, try saying each syllable separately and gradually connect them together.
Watch Hadar’s tutorial on how to pronounce ‘rarely’ and practice with her:
Once you watch the video and practice, let us know in the comments if it was helpful.
Learn how you can tackle the American R sound in this training with FREE Audio Practice sheet.
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