Remaining ER notes

These are outnumbered by the notes for the one other sound represented by the spelling *ER* (/ə/).

/ɜ:/ Notes

1. adversarial
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample has  /ə/.
2. advertisement
   Stress (in British English) is on the second syllable, but a possible American pronunciation has stress on the third syllable (with /ə/ in the second), and this pronunciation is not infrequent among some speakers of British English.
3. alternate
   This is the adjective, with stress on the second syllable, but see also /ə/ for the verb.
4. berserk
   The second syllable has this sound. See also  /ə/.
5. controversyAn alternative (and quite common) pronunciation has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in third.
6. dermatological
   Not in the Macmillan English Dictionary as a headword. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary entry for dermatology which includes this as a Derived form.
7. deserved and deservedly
   The verb has two syllable, but the adverb has four.
8. determinate
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel, but seems to be introducing a nasal to the final syllable . This may be because the word determinate is much less common than its antonym (indeterminate); (The Britisn National Corpus has about half as many instances of determinate as of indeterminate , and in the Corpus of Contemporary American the weighting is nearly twice as marked.) The nearest soundalike (with /ə/ in the final syllable) is determinant. (more than twice as common in the Britisn National Corpus, three times as common in the Corpus of Contemporary American).
9. ferment
   This is the noun, stressed on the first syllable. The verb has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first.
10. Germanic, hermaphrodite and hermeticThe Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample has  /ə/ (a common and perfectly acceptable alternative).
11. inadvertentThe adjective is not included as a headword in Macmillan Engish Dictionary (although inadvertently is). The link is to the Collins Engish Dictionary.
12. kerbside
    This escapes the exclusion of compounds because it is chiefly used metaphorically, with no reference to nearness to the kerb (as in "kerbside recycling" - which rarely if ever involves adjacency to the kerb).
13. perfect
    This is the adjective. with stress on the first syllable. See also in the  /ə/ section. 
14. perfumed
    The Macmillan Engish Dictionary gives this, with primary stress on the first syllable, for British English. In American English, the stress is on the second syllable (with /ə/ in the first syllable). 
15. permit and pervert
    This is the noun, with stress on the first syllable. See also the  /ə/  section for the verb, which is stressed on the second syllable.
16. perseverance, persevere, and  persevering
    This sound is in the first syllable. For the sound in the third syllable, see the /iə/ section.
17. servery
    This sound is in the first syllable. See also /ə/.
18. superfluous. superlative, and superlatively
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start "super-" because neither *fluous  nor *lative is a free-standing word.; and besides the sound is not /ə/.
19. vermicelli
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample is /eə/, an approximation to the Italian.
20. vermouth
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel as does the audio sample, but another pronunciation (with stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first) is common. The Macmillan English Dictionary gives this pronunciation, with matching audio, calling it "American", but (confusingly, and presumably unintentionally) uses the same transcription.

/e/ Notes

1. a posteriori
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this vowel but the audio sample is /ɪə/. Both are used.
2. beriberi
   Both -ers represent this sound.
3. cerebral
   With this pronunciation, stress is on the first syllable. American English has stress on the second syllable, with /ə/ in the first (as in cerebrum). This pronunciation is becoming common in the UK.
4. ferret
   Note that, unlike with many noun/verb pairs (for example ferment), the verb has the same pronunciation as the noun.
5. herringbone
   This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds, because its chief use is as a metaphor that has little immediate relevance to fish.

/ɪə/ Notes

1. adherence
   Except in words ending -ere[d],the Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample is /i:/ (throughout this section).
2. arteriosclerosis
   This sound occurs in the first of the *er* syllables; for the second see e.
3. deleterious
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample is /eə/. Both pronunciations are common.
4. interfere, interference, and interfering
   This sound is in the third syllable; the sound /ə/ occurs in the second.
5. materiel
   The final syllable uses the /e/ sound (unlike material which has /ə/). The Macmillan English Dictionary has this transcription, but the audio example is /ə/. Presumably this is an unintentional slip.
6. perseverance, persevere, and persevering
   This sound is in the third syllable. For the sound in the first syllable, see the /ɜ:/ section.
7. serotonin
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample  uses /e/ (a common alternative).

/ɪ/ Notes

1. bereave
   The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list the bare infinitive, only the participle. Others do (the link is to the Collins English Dictionary).
2. derivative and erase
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample has a hint of /e/.
3. erratic
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample has /e/ - a common pronunciation.
4. ineradicable
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample has /ə/. Either is acceptable.

/eə/ Notes

1. bolero
   This vowel is in the second syllable. An alternative pronunciation, with stress on the first syllable, has /ə/ in the second.
2. ersatz
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this diphthong but the audio sample has /ɜ:/ - a common anglicization.
3. werewolf
   This escapes the general exclusion of compounds because wer (in the sense man) is not a word in Modern English.

/ɑ:/ Notes

*ER* represents this sound in a dwindling number of words. For example, in the BBC Radio comedy series The Navy Lark recorded 1959-61, the rear end of a ship is called its /stɑ:n/, but I have only ever heard the /ɑ:/ pronunciation in that context 

1. sergeant and sergeant-at-arms
   The Macmillan English Dictionary has no option with the -j- spelling for the word on its own, but other dictionaries do. The Macmillan English Dictionary does, though, for the derived phrase.

Notes for other sounds

1. every
   The *er* is occasionally enunciated, in childish speech or in music or poetry, if scansion requires it.
2. knobk[i]errie
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription has this sound but the audio sample /e/. The /i/ pronunciation presumably refers to the -ier- spelling.
3. croupier and dossier
   While croupier has, in the Macmillan English Dictionary a single English pronunciation (/ə/), dossier has two (/ə/ and /eɪ/). The reason (if any) for this is not clear; in fact, in my experience, the /eɪ/ pronunciatrion is if anything more common in the case of croupier (perhaps because of its association with smart ‘continental‘ life-styles).

ER... What's the most common *ER* sound?

No prizes for guessing it's /ə/. Even after very many exclusions (to keep the job of compiling within bounds...

<quote_from_intro subject="exclusions">
[These lists exclude] [w]ords that end "*er", and their derivatives (such as coverage or considerable), which account in all for well over a half of "*er*" words; even without derivatives, such words account for a quarter of the *er* total (more than the total for all *ir* or *ur* words).
</quote_from_intro>

..., nearly half of all the words listed in #WVGTbook2 (to give the book its pet name) use the spelling *er* to represent the sound /ə/.

Here are the notes for this section.

1. adversary
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample both have this vowel  (with stress on the first syllable) but quite often stress is put (in a way disapproved of in some circles) on the second, with the sound /ɜ:/.
2. afterward[s]
   This escapes the general exclusion of compounds because the "after-" is followed by a string that is not a free-standing word.
3. alternate
   This is the verb, with stress on the first syllable, but see also the /ɜ:/ section for the adjective.
4. barbershop
   Escapes two exclusions (words ending -er and compound words built using them) because the word is now used principally to refer to a kind of singing.
5. berserk
   The first syllable has this sound. See also the /ɜ:/ section.
6. ceramic[s] and cerise
   The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription and audio sample both have this vowel, but a pronunciation with an /ɪ/ pronunciation is common.
7. certification
   Not in the Macmillan English Dictionary, except in the form self-certification. This is odd, as the  British National Corpus has only five occurrences of self-certification, as against more than 70 times as many occurrences of certification. The Corpus of Contemporary American has 1000 times that number.
8. chatterbox
   This escapes the general exclusion of compound words because no box is involved.
9. choleric
   The Macmillan English Dictionary has this, with stress on the first syllable. But some dictionaries - eg the Cambridge Dictionary - have /e/, with stress on the second syllable (but still, incidentally, /ɒ/ in the first, according to that dictionary - although /ə/ is also common).
10. copperplate
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds because its most common use today is in calligraphy - and does not refer to a copper plate.
11. coterie
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that in the second syllable the vowel is not /e/. That is, the e behaves like a "Magic E" (in producing the /əʊ/ in the first syllable), but goes on to represemt an /ə/ in the second.
12. crackers
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because its use (except, of course, as a plural of cracker) is metaphorical.
13. creamery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because a "creamer" in this image (a jug) is no longer in use (except, perhaps, dialectally). Besides, the suffix is not "-y" but "ery"; see note 14.
14. crockery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because it is not derived from a non-existent *crocker. The suffix "-ery" usually means "place for, art of, condition of, quantity of". See further information from Etymonline here
15. cutlery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives of words ending -er because a "cutler" is chiefly a tradesman of historical interest.
16. deanery
    This looks as though it should be excluded as a derivative, but it is a derivative of dean rather than the (non-existent) *deaner.
17. divers
    This is not the plural of the noun (which is excluded). It is an archaic determiner (meaning something like "various").
18. dividers
    This is not excluded (as a word ending with an unstressed last syllable) since it is not the plural of the word "divider".
19. elderberry
    This sound is in the second syllable. See also the /e/ section.
20. enervate
    The bare infinitive is not included in the Macmillan English Dictionary. The link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
21. evergreen
    This escapes the usual exclusion of compounds, because of its metaphorical use - with a meaning something like "commonly-held favorite"(for example "evergreen melodies")..
22. ferment
    This is the noun, stressed on the first syllable. The verb has stress on the second syllable and /ə/ in the first.
23. fisherman
    This escapes two general exclusions (compound words and derivatives of words ending -er) as fisher is a rather rare noun, not included in the Macmillan English Dictionary.
24. geranium
    The Macmillan English Dictionary's transcription gives this sound (as does the audio sample),  but a pronunciation with an /ɪ/ pronunciation is common.
25. gooseberry
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that this has neither the /u:/ of goose nor the /e/ of berry.
26. heroics
    The Macmillan English Dictionary's transcribes this with a /ə/ , although the same dictionary gives the word heroic (the adjective) with an /ɪ/. This is surely accidental: either word can be pronounced with either vowel.
27. huckleberry
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has /e/. Either vowel is possible.
28. interfere, interference, and interfering
    This sound is in the second syllable; for the sound in the third, see the /ɪə/ section.
29. knickerbockers
    Both -ers (in the second and in the fourth syllables) use this sound.
30. liverish
    This escapes the exclusion of derivatives of words endng -er because the relation to the liver is largely metaphorical.
31. liberation
    The Macmillan English Dictionary does not list liberation; the link is to the Collins English Dictionary.
32. midwifery
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note that the vowel in the second syllable is /I/ (despite the /aɪ/ of the source noun midwife.
33. miserable and monastery
    The Macmillan English Dictionary's transcription gives this sound, but the audio sample has only three syllables (a more common pronunciation [except in very formal contexts and in the speech of children]).
34. overweening and overwhelm
    This escapes the general exclusion of words with *-er- prefixes because neither "ween" nor "whelm" exists in current British English as a standalone word.
35. peremptory
    Some speakers stress the first syllable, with the sound /e/.
36. perfect
    This is the verb. with stress on the second syllable. See also in the /ɜ:/ section.
37. permit
    This is the verb, with stress on the second syllable. See also the  /ɜ:/ section for the noun.
38. persimmon and pertain
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has a hint of /ɜ:/. Both are possible.
39. pervert
    This is the verb, stressed on the second syllable. For the noun, stressed on the first syllable, see the /ɜ:/ section.
40. pizzeria
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has a hint of /e/. Both pronunciations are common.
41. raspberry
    Students of English for Speakers of Other Languages should note three things:
    • the "p" is silent
    • the "s" assimilates to the voicing of the /b/ (and so represents the /z/ sound)
    • "e" does not represent the /e/ sound
42. rubberneck
    This escapes the general exclusion of compounds because the metaphorical verb does not refer to necks.
43. saddlery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives from words that end -er because the role of saddler is almost extinct. Besides, see note 14.
44. savagery, scenery, scullery, shrubbery and snobbery
    These escape the usual exclusion of derivatives from words that end -er because there is no such thing as a savager, a scener, a sculler, a shrubber or a snobber. In other words, they all escape that exclusion by simply not being a derivative of a non-existent noun.
45. slippery
    This escapes the usual exclusion of derivatives from words that end -er because there is no such derivation (it does not mean "like a slipper").
46. superficial and superstition
    These escape the usual exclusion of words that start super- because neither *ficial not *stition is a free-standing word.
47. supervi[s|z]e
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start super- because *vise is not a free-standing word (in current British English).
48. undercarriage
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start under- because the notion of a carriage is a long way from this aeronautical metaphor.
49. undermine
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start under- because the idea of "cutting ground away" is largely metaphorical.
50. understand, understanding, understudy and undertak[e|en|ing]
    These escape the usual exclusion of words that start under- because of the distance between their etymology and the idea of inferiority.
51. underway
    This escapes the usual exclusion of words that start under- because the notion of "way" - meaning the making of progress, as in the nautical phrase "steerage way" (when a vessel is making enough progress for the rudder to have an appreciable effect) - is far from the word's current meaning.
52. verruca
    The Macmillan English Dictionary transcription uses /ə/ but the audio sample has /ɜ:/.
53. watermark
    This escapes the general exclusion of compound words because it refers to a process of papermaking that is a closed book for the most part to all but hobbyists and etymological dictionaries.
54. westernize|d
    The Macmillan English Dictionary  does not list a spelling with -ise; but a few other dictionaries listed by Onelook do.
55. wickerwork
    This escapes the general exclusion of compound words because wicker is not in regular use as a free-standing word.
    
    
    
    The illustration shows the decline as noted by in the Collins English Dictionary. In the last 50 years plotted (data runs out at 2008) usage declined by well over 70%
56. withers
    This escapes the general exclusion of words deriving from words ending -er as wither and withers (part of a horse) are unrelated.