Unit 11: Spelling the sound /er/: ur, ir, ear, or er ?

There are 4 main ways of spelling this vowel sound. There are no rules to help you decide which spelling to use - you have to rely on your visual memory.

Say the words aloud and listen to the vowel sound:


ur as in burger	ir as in shirt	ear as in earth	er as in person
Now, look at the words in each list. Which do you know? Which do you need to learn? If you are unsure use 'Learn the Words' below.
ur	ir	ear	er
fur* blur slur nurse purse purple burst burn turn curl hurl surf turf church Thursday Saturday curve return murder turnip	birthday thirst circle first fir* sir stir bird third girl swirl dirt shirt flirt skirt squirt squirm circus thirty thirteen	heard* earn learn earl pearl early search	fern herb serve nerve swerve herd* kerb term verse
Learn the Words: 2	Learn the Words: 2	Learn the Words: 2
NOTE Many words end in er but the sound is slightly different. Say these words aloud and listen to the end: dinner hammer driver sweeter See Unit 25 for more on these words