Pronunciation Reduction Or

Do you like blue or red?

Or is a conjunction which also makes it a function word. As with most function words it is reduced in the sentence. The sound reduction for or is a soft, short schwa and r sound combination. Say er three times. There are other times where English speakers reduce it to a simple, short r sound. This depends on preferred pronunciation by the native English speaker. Here are a few examples of the reduction of or:

• I will eat pie r ice cream.
• Go with Tim er Jack.
• Do you like blue r red?
• Leave now r you will be late.
• Come er go, I do not care.
• Love it r leave it.

Keep in mind that even though the sound is reduced, it will typically link with the other words around it. In the second to last example, it might even be pronounced like “cumer go”.

The last example is an expression that patriotic Americans will say when another American says something negative about the USA. They typically say, “Love it r leave it, I really do not care.”