Please be aware that the pronunciation could vary from one dialect to another.

However, the words you mentioned seem to be pronounced pretty much the same in both American (AmE) and English (BrE) accents. One main difference here is that BrE is typically non-rhotic ([r] sound is more gentle and subtle), while AmE is typically rhotic.

heir is pronounced "air"
hare and hair are pronounced "hair" (with the same vowel as "air")
here rhymes with "ear", but with "h" sound
hire rhymes with "fire", but with "h" sound
her is pronounced "her"

Your dictionary should provide another good way to check the pronunciation.

Finally, thanks to @Hellion, in listening, to tell which word is which from several possible homophones (e.g. heir or air), context will give you necessary clues.

Answer from Damkerng T. on Stack Exchange
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Grammarly
grammarly.com › commonly-confused-words › hair-vs-hare
Hair vs. Hare: What's the Difference?
There is no common usage of hare as any part of speech other than a noun. Hare pronunciation: Hare is pronounced /hɛr/, identical to hair.
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Sounds American
soundsamerican.net › article › the_difference_in_pronunciation_between_hair_hare_and_heir
The difference in pronunciation between "hair," "hare," and "heir"
You can figure out the pronunciation of the words "hair" and "hare" if you recall a couple of phonic rules. The word "heir," however, can be a royal pain.
Top answer
1 of 2
7

Please be aware that the pronunciation could vary from one dialect to another.

However, the words you mentioned seem to be pronounced pretty much the same in both American (AmE) and English (BrE) accents. One main difference here is that BrE is typically non-rhotic ([r] sound is more gentle and subtle), while AmE is typically rhotic.

heir is pronounced "air"
hare and hair are pronounced "hair" (with the same vowel as "air")
here rhymes with "ear", but with "h" sound
hire rhymes with "fire", but with "h" sound
her is pronounced "her"

Your dictionary should provide another good way to check the pronunciation.

Finally, thanks to @Hellion, in listening, to tell which word is which from several possible homophones (e.g. heir or air), context will give you necessary clues.

2 of 2
1

How can I distinguish between the words 'hare', 'here', 'hair', 'heir', 'hire', 'her', 'higher' and 'hear' when pronounced?

Context. Here's some hints that can help you.

  • hare isn't too common of a word unless the conversation involves rabbits or animals, the expression hare-brained being a possible exception. So you can assume "hair" if you hear this most of the time.

  • hear is a verb and will be immediately preceded by a subject pronoun most of the time - I hear X... etc. here will not be immediately preceded by a subject pronoun. hear can be the first word of a sentence, but not too often - using hear in the imperative sense, where it would be the first word of the sentence, would be limited to an announcement scenario, or possibly where someone is telling you to listen closely.

  • heir isn't a common word outside of a royal or legal setting. Nine times out of ten this sound is the word air.

  • hire is a verb and will be immediately preceded by a subject pronoun most of the time, or be used in the expression for hire. Higher, being an modifier, will not. EDIT: hire is also a noun, typically used in the phrase new hire or recent hire.

  • her should not sound like the other words, but this could be the case in some dialects. Usually her will occur towards the end of a sentence and preceded by a preposition like "to" or "by." If it occurs towards the beginning of a sentence, it will be immediately followed by a noun, expressing possession - "Her face was beautiful."

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WordReference
forum.wordreference.com › english only › english only
Hair-Hare [pronunciation] | WordReference Forums
November 13, 2010 - Well, I'd like to know how to pronounce the words hair and hare. Are both pronounced the same way? Please, help me. Thank you!
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Tarle Speech
tarlespeech.com › home › how to pronounce hair & hare – american english homophone pronunciation lesson
How to Pronounce HAIR & HARE - American English Homophone Pronunciation Lesson - Tarle Speech
October 6, 2020 - Jennifer Tarle from Tarle Speech and Language guides you through a quick pronunciation lesson with quick tips to have you sounding clearer in no time. Improve your accent and speak clearly with this ESL English pronunciation lesson.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Learn to Pronounce HAIR 💇‍♀️ & HARE 🐇 American English Homophone Pronunciation Lesson #learnenglish - YouTube
Learn how to pronounce the words HAIR & HARE with this English pronunciation lesson. These words are homophones, words spelled differently with different mea...
Published   October 6, 2020
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › pronunciation › english › hare
HARE | Pronunciation in English
Sound-by-sound pronunciation · Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio · UK/heər/ hare · Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio · /h/ as in · Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio · hand · Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio ...
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YouTube
youtube.com › learn with ears
Confusing Words in English, Her/Hair/Heir/Hare/Hear/Here | Vocabulary| Pronunciation | Common errors - YouTube
Many words in English are confusing. Some of the words have similar pronunciations or sound the same but are used differently. These words are often pronounc...
Published   February 28, 2022
Views   6K
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YouTube
youtube.com › teen buzz radio archives
Hair vs Hare - YouTube
Mannie explains words that are called Homophones.#englishgrammar #englishradio #learningenglish #hairvshare #teenbuzzradio
Published   July 15, 2021
Views   239
Find elsewhere
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Homophones
homophone.com › h › hair-hare
hair, hare at Homophone
The answer is simple: hair, hare are homophones of the English language.
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Learn how to pronounce HEAR and HAIR - American English Pronunciation Lesson #learnenglish - YouTube
Learn how to pronounce HEAR and HAIR /hɪr hɛr/ in this American English Pronunciation Lesson. This video targets a confusing word pair: HEAR and HAIR. HERE ...
Published   June 24, 2009
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VoiceTube
voicetube.com › videos › 134970
How to Pronounce HAIR & HARE - American English Homophone Pronunciation Lesson - VoiceTube: Learn English through videos!
With over one hundred thousand videos with full English-Chinese subtitles, a built-in dictionary, pronunciation challenges and more, it’s no wonder that there are 4 million users that are learning English on VoiceTube the fun way.
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YouTube
youtube.com › english makes no sense
Pronunciation Help: Air, Hair, Hare and Heir #esl #english #englishteacher #languagelearning #air - YouTube
AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new featuresNFL Sunday Ticket · © 2025 Google LLC
Published   December 17, 2024
Views   1K
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YouTube
youtube.com › learn with nova
How to pronounce 'here', 'hair' & 'hare' correctly?? 🤔🤔 - YouTube
AboutPressCopyrightContact usCreatorsAdvertiseDevelopersTermsPrivacyPolicy & SafetyHow YouTube worksTest new features · © 2024 Google LLC
Published   December 27, 2022
Views   530
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WordPress
kathleenwcurry.wordpress.com › 2017 › 11 › 14 › easily-confused-words-hare-vs-hair-2
Easily Confused Words: Hare vs. Hair – Kathleen W Curry
November 14, 2017 - Hare’s legs are longer and extend ... for winter, then turns back to brown and black for the spring. Hair (pronounced “hayuhrr”; rhymes with flair, lair) is a noun....
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GRAMMARIST
grammarist.com › home › homophones › hair vs hare
Hair vs hare Homophones Spelling & Definition
August 25, 2024 - Hair may refer to one strand or hair may be used as a collective noun to refer to all of the growth covering a head or other body part. Hair may be used as a noun or an adjective, it comes from the Old English word hær. A hare is a small mammal related to the rabbit.
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Sapling
sapling.ai › mixup › hair_hare
“Hair” or “Hare”—Which to use? | Sapling
hair / hare are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.
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Facebook
facebook.com › LearningEnglishWithOxford › videos › do-you-know-how-to-pronounce-hair-and-hare-you-will-after-you-finish-watching-th › 500289421910267
Do you know how to pronounce 'Hair' and 'Hare ...
Learning English with Oxford, Oxford. 246,632 likes · 3,559 talking about this. Welcome to the official Oxford University Press Facebook page for English language learners!