the letter r

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   The eighteenth letter of the English alphabet, written r.

   Grammar: Use 'the letter r' or just 'r' when talking about the written symbol; the plural is 'r's' or 'Rs'.

   Patterns

   • the letter r
   • a capital R
   • words beginning with r

   My surname starts with the letter r, so I sign it with a capital R.

   There are three r's in the word 'refrigerator'.

   The teacher asked us to circle every letter r on the page.

2. 2nouncountable or uncountable

   The sound represented by this letter, especially the /r/ sound in words like 'red' or 'car'.

   Grammar: Often used without 'the' when talking about the sound itself, e.g. 'She can't say r.'

   Patterns

   • pronounce the r
   • a silent r
   • roll your r's

   Speakers of some languages find the English r difficult to pronounce.

   In 'car park', the first r is pronounced in American English but usually not in British English.

   He rolls his r's when he speaks Spanish.

3. 3abbreviation

   A short written form of 'right', 'river', 'radius', or 'registered', depending on context.

   Grammar: Usually written with a capital R and often a full stop in American usage, e.g. 'R.' for river on maps.

   Patterns

   • R. (river)
   • ® (registered trademark)
   • turn R

   On the map, the blue line marked R. is the river.

   The instructions say 'turn R at the lights'.

   The logo has a small ® next to it.

Word forms

Common combinations

the letter r

The letter r comes after q in the alphabet.

a capital R

Write your name with a capital R.

words beginning with r

We made a list of words beginning with r.

pronounce the r

In this dialect, people don't pronounce the r at the end of a word.

roll your r's

It takes practice to roll your r's like a native speaker.

Commonly confused: the letter r or are?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “the letter r”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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