Decoding exercises: "arr"

The letter A in the sequence "arr" normally sounds /æ/ in Received Pronunciation (as in carry) or /ə/ when unstressed (as in arrange). In derived words it sounds /ɑː/ (as in starry).

In The United States /ær/ often sounds /r/ or /r/. See Mary-marry-merry merger.

Common words

 * As /æ/: barrier - carry - embarrass - marriage - marry - narrative - narrow
 * As /ə/: arrange - arrangement - arrest - arrival - arrive - narrate - narrator

Less common words

 * As /æ/: arrogant - arrow - barricade - carrot - parrot - sparrow
 * As /ɑː/: barred - barring - catarrh - bizarre - scarred - scarring - starred - starring - starry
 * As /ɒ/, /ɔː/: quarrel - warrant - warrior
 * As /ə/: arrhythmia - diarrhea

Proper nouns

 * As /æ/: Harry, Larry

In Games of Thrones the sequence "arr" often sounds /r/ (or at least that is shown in A Wiki of Ice and Fire). This doesn't happen in normal English. We can speculate that since George R. R. Martin is American he has the Mary-marry merger. Another explanation would be that the writers of A Wiki of Ice and Fire have said merger. In any case this would mean that /r/ is actually /ær/.
 * Games of Thrones
 * Arryn, Barristan, Harrenhal