28 Sept 2026
Why Do British Speakers Add an Extra R?
Hello friend,
Have you ever been listening to a British English speaker and suddenly thought, “Wait... where did that R come from?”
Perhaps you heard law and order, but it sounded more like law-r-and order. Or maybe you noticed an unexpected R appearing between two words, even though there isn’t one written anywhere.
You’re not imagining it.
This little sound is called the intrusive R, and it is one of those fascinating features of natural connected speech that can make spoken British English sound very different from the English we see written on the page.
“But do I need to use it myself”, you may ask?
Not necessarily. If your goal is to communicate clearly in English, you don’t need to deliberately add an intrusive R every time you speak.
But learning to recognise it can transform your listening.
Instead of hearing an unfamiliar word or wondering whether you have misunderstood the sentence, your brain begins to recognise what is actually happening:
Ah... that R isn’t part of the word. It’s just connected speech.
And that small moment of recognition can make fast, natural English feel much less mysterious.
Watch Nick’s lesson
In the video, Nick explains what the intrusive R is and shows you how it appears in natural British English.
As you watch, don’t worry about memorising everything.
Instead, listen curiously.
Notice where one word ends and another begins. Listen for that tiny R sound connecting them. You might even pause the video and repeat a few examples aloud.
The more you train your ears to notice patterns like this, the easier it becomes to understand English as it is actually spoken, not simply as it appears in a textbook.
FREE Intrusive R Worksheet
To help you practise, we’ve also created a free Intrusive R worksheet (https://envisionmylife.co.uk/product/british-english-pronunciation-intrusive-r/) (https://envisionmylife.co.uk/product/british-english-pronunciation-intrusive-r/)containing an explanation and plenty of common examples you can listen for and practise yourself.
A little challenge for you
Over the next few days, listen for the intrusive R when you watch British television, listen to a podcast, or have a conversation with a British English speaker.
Whenever you hear one, pause for a moment and ask yourself:
What were the two words being connected?
You are training your brain to hear English differently.
And that is where listening confidence begins.
Intensive Pronunciation Bootcamp with Nick Price- LIVE on Zoom
This special five-day online Zoom bootcamp is designed specifically for B1 and B2 level English language learners who want to master the rhythm, intonation, pacing, and spoken clarity of British English.
More Details
* Dates: Monday 12th to Friday 16th of October
* Time: 5:00 PM UK time every day
* Format: Live one-hour sessions online via Zoom
* Level: Ideal for B1 and B2 English language learners who want to improve their British English pronunciation
* Group Size: Strictly limited to a small group of 6 people
With gratitude,
Marusya and Nick Price
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