Reference page

NURSE vowel

• A long, mid-open central vowel.
• Approximately the same sound as in commA, but longer. (Technically a little more open, but the difference is very slight.)
• IPA transcription: [ɜː]

Spelled: or

• word, work, world, worm, worse, worth, worship, worsted (wool)
• -wort (plant names, often medicinal; ragwort, soapwort, St John's Wort)

And also

• attorney

But not

• wore, worn, swore, sworn

which are pronounced with the NORTH vowel

Spelled: ear

Only before a consonant, in the following words and their derivatives:

• heard
• earl, early, pearl
• earn, earnest, learn, yearn
• hearse, rehearsal
• search, research
• earth, dearth

Spelled: er

• were

Spelled: ir

At the end of a word, or before a consonant other than R.

Some examples:

• sir, stir, fir (tree), whir
• girl, firm, squirm, swirl, whirl, twirl
• third, bird, dirge, gird, shirt, skirt, dirt, squirt, flirt, chirp, quirk, smirk, irk
• first, thirst, birth, mirth, girth (circumference)
• virtual, virgin, confirm
• circumstance, circle, circus, circuit, circulation, circa, circadian, circumvent, circumcise, circlet

Spelled: ur

At the end of a word, or before a consonant letter

(An incomplete list)

• blur, cur, fur, slur, spur
• blurb, curb, disturb
• burn, churn, spurn, turn, urn
• burr, purr
• curse, nurse, purse,
• burst,

Except: Unstressed syllables

Pronounced [ə] (schwa) in:
• yoghurt, murmur, femur (bone), lemur (animal), sulphur (element), auburn (hair colour), jodhpur (clothes)
And likewise when there is a silent e, e.g.:
• culture, leisure, picture, future, feature, nature, pressure, ...