Rhotic and non-rhotic accent

English pronunciation can be divided into two main accent groups:


 * A rhotic speaker pronounces the letter "R" in hard and water.
 * A non-rhotic speaker does not pronounce it in hard, and will only pronounce it in water if the following word begins with a vowel.

In other words, rhotic speakers pronounce "R" in all positions, while non-rhotic speakers pronounce it only if it is followed by a vowel.

None of the above is absolute, and speakers living in regions where one form or another "dominates" may or may not follow the dominant form.

The following table summarizes the rhotic and non-rhotic phonemes of English. In Teflpedia the silent /r/ is always written (as in the column "Phonemes"), because it is very simple to delete it. Conversely, it is not always obvious where it can be inserted. In /eə, ɪə, ʊə/ and /ɜː/ it is obvious. In ɔː, ə, aɪə/ and  it is not.

Additionally, and mainly in some rhotic accents in North America, the /æ/ and the /e/ phonemes become /eə/ in the position vowel-consonant-vowel.