Diphthong + /ə/ combinations

Some of the following vowel combinations are triphthongs, in that they occur in one syllable, and some others contain a diphthong at the end of a syllable followed by a schwa in the next. This distinction, while important in phonology, is not made below.

Ex. Match the following words with the vowel combinations they contain.
1. /aɪə/, 2. /aʊə/, 3. /eɪə/, 4. /ɔɪə/, 5. /əʊə/

buyer, destroyer, dire, employer, fire, higher, hour, lawnmower, lawyer, layer, liar, lower, our, player, power, rower, sour, sprayer, tower

KEY

1. /aɪə/ buyer, dire, fire, higher, liar

2. /aʊə/ hour, our, power, sour, tower

3. /eɪə/ layer, player, sprayer

4. /ɔɪə/ destroyer, employer, lawyer

5. /əʊə/ lawnmower, lower, rower