You will probably be familiar with non-rhotic accents, even if you don't know what the word non-rhotic means! Non-rhoticity is a linguistic feature that has been the subject of much debate and study among linguists. Found in English speakers from the West Indies, South Africa, and England non-rhoticity is a fascinating subject to explore even if you are simply curious about the diversity of the English language.
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Sign up for freeA non-rhotic accent does what?
True or false?The Australian English accent is mostly non-rhotic.
True or false?The New Zealand English accent is mostly non-rhotic.
True or false?A non-rhotic accent always pronounces the 'r', no matter where it is in a word.
True or false?The standard British English accent is rhotic.
True or false?A non-rhotic accent never pronounces any /r/ sounds.
True or false?The standard American English accent is non-rhotic.
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of hard?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of near?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of farmer?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of butter?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of hard?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of near?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of farmer?
Which of the following is the non-rhotic pronunciation of butter?
A non-rhotic accent does what?
True or false?The Australian English accent is mostly non-rhotic.
True or false?The New Zealand English accent is mostly non-rhotic.
True or false?A non-rhotic accent always pronounces the 'r', no matter where it is in a word.
True or false?The standard British English accent is rhotic.
True or false?A non-rhotic accent never pronounces any /r/ sounds.
True or false?The standard American English accent is non-rhotic.
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Send FeedbackNon-rhotic refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. Non-rhotic is also known as r-dropping.
A non-rhotic accent drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. For example, if the words 'start', 'park' and 'butter', are spoken with a non-rhotic accent, the /r/ sounds will not be pronounced. Instead, they are pronounced like this:
Although there are some exceptions (such as most West Country accents and Scottish accents), most British English accents are considered non-rhotic. One of the most well-known non-rhotic accents is the standard British English accent, also known as Received Pronunciation. This is the accent that is used most by those in London and South East England.
Like British English, Australian, New Zealand English, and South African English are also mostly non-rhotic.
On the other hand, Canadian English accents are almost entirely rhotic, meaning the /r/ sound is always pronounced. Further, most American English accents are rhotic. There are some exceptions though, such as:
The traditional New York City dialect (currently less so)
Below are some examples of words pronounced using a non-rhotic accent. These words will be phonetically transcribed using the standard British English pronunciation, as it is a non-rhotic accent:
| Word | Non-rhotic pronunciation (standard British English) |
| Marker | /mɑːkə/ |
| Card | /kɑːd/ |
| Heart | /hɑːt/ |
| Fear | /fɪə/ |
| Learn | /lɜːn/ |
| Father | /fɑːðə/ |
One sound that is commonly used in non-rhotic accents is the schwa (/ə/) vowel sound. For example, the 'o' in the word 'corrupt', or the 'e' in 'soldier.' This is used instead of an /r/ sound, although the word will still be spelt with an 'r' at the end.
The opposite of a non-rhotic accent is a rhotic accent. This refers to when the /r/ sound is always pronounced, no matter where it is in a word. An example of a rhotic accent is the standard American English accent.
Fig. 1 - Standard American English is rhotic, whereas standard British English is non-rhotic.
Let's compare this to standard British English pronunciation:
| Word | Rhotic American English | Non-rhotic British English |
| Marker | /mɑrkər/ | /mɑːkə/ |
| Card | /kɑrd/ | /kɑːd/ |
| Heart | /hɑrt/ | /hɑːt/ |
| Fear | /fɪr/ | /fɪə/ |
| Learn | /lɜrn/ | /lɜːn/ |
| Father | /ˈfɑðər/ | ˈ/fɑːðə/ |
Notice how the /r/ sound is present in the rhotic pronunciations but not in the non-rhotic pronunciations.
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What is a non-rhotic accent?
A non-rhotic accent refers to when the /r/ consonant sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it comes at the end of a word.
What is the difference between rhotic and non-rhotic?
With a rhotic accent, the /r/ sound is always pronounced. With a non-rhotic accent, the /r/ sound is not pronounced if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it comes at the end of a word.
What is rhoticity in English?
Rhoticity in English refers to the use of the rhotic /r/ consonant sound in words. Non-rhoticity is the dropping of the /r/ sound.
What is a non-rhotic accent?
A non-rhotic accent is an accent that drops the /r/ sound if it comes after a vowel and is followed by a consonant, or if it is at the end of a word. An example of a non-rhotic accent is the standard British English accent.
Is British non-rhotic?
Most British English accents are indeed non-rhotic (although there are some exceptions).
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