Here is our top list of er words you can add to your writing. Read our guide.
Words containing “er” are common in writing and verbal communication. It’s also one of English’s most pervasive digraphs (a pair of letters creating a sound). Familiarizing yourself with these words is necessary to understand how they’re applied in formal and informal speech and writing.
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What Are Er Words?
The pair “er” is a vowel digraph, where two letters make one sound or phoneme. Some refer to it as the “r-controlled vowel” or vowels followed by the letter “r,” also known as murmur diphthongs.
Sometimes words are spelled with “er” but sound /ur/. For instance, “her” and “person.” There are also words spelled as “ir,” “ear,” and “ur” but have the /er/ sound. Because these can confuse learners, we prepared a list to help you get accustomed to these “er” words.
| Allergic | Ferry | Painter |
| Beer | Folder | Player |
| Better | Follower | Photographer |
| Beret | Friendlier | Prefer |
| Bigger | Fresher | Power |
| Bumper | Funnier | Prettier |
| Caller | Greater | Reader |
| Closer | Generous | Renter |
| Cooler | Happier | Rerun |
| Dinner | Harder | Rounder |
| Dryer | Here | Router |
| Eerie | Hero | Sharper |
| Eager | Higher | Shorter |
| Easier | Hunter | Stronger |
| Er | Internship | Summer |
| Era | Internet | Superman |
| Eradicate | Letter | Surgery |
| Eraser | Lighter | Teacher |
| Ere | Longer | Three-wheeler |
| Ergonomics | Material | Trailer |
| Ermite | Mercy | Transfer |
| Erodible | Miner | Traveler |
| Erosion | Money-saver | Version |
| Erotic | Mother | Viewer |
| Errand | Nerdy | Verse |
| Erratic | Nicer | Very |
| Errorless | Offer | Warmer |
| Eruption | Opener | Washer |
| Erythrophobia | Over | Writer |
| Feral | Paper | Zero |
Words With Er in the Initial Position
Of all the categories on this list, words beginning with “er” are the rarest in English. Note that some of these words are not commonly used in speaking and writing.
- Er
About your proposition, er…, I don’t think it will solve our issue.
- Era
The 1984 version of Hamlet is my favorite medieval-era movie.
Looking for more? Check out our list of the longest words without vowels for writers.
- Eradicate
We can only save this country if we eradicate corruption.
- Eraser
Unfortunately, there’s no magic eraser that can wipe away your mistakes.
- Ere
I should take the promotion ere the CEO changes his mind.
- Ergonomics
He will fail the class if he doesn’t do well in his Ergonomics exam.
- Ermite
Thalia gave me an ermite made by her grandmother from Canada.
- Erodible
The area isn’t safe for building anything as it has erodible soil.
- Erosion
The river rocks are smooth from years of surface erosion.
- Erotic
Gale admits to reading erotic stories, which I think is normal for his age.
- Errand
She can’t come to the party since she has an errand to run today.
- Erratic
Her parents took her to the hospital because they were nervous about her erratic heartbeat.
- Errorless
Machines may offer errorless executions, but our company still prefers human employees.
- Eruption
Mount St. Helen’s 1980 eruption is one of the most destructive natural phenomena in the US.
- Erythrophobia
Erythrophobia, or fear of blushing, causes extreme anxiety.
Looking for more? Check out this list of tone words.
Words With Er in the Medial Position
There are almost 85,000 words containing “er,” and most have the digraph in the middle. These widespread words are helpful for word games and everyday conversations.
- Allergic
Danny’s devastated to know that he’s allergic to seafood because he loves to eat crabs.
- Beret
My cousin has many hats, but his father’s old army green beret is his favorite.
- Eerie
We investigated where the eerie sound came from and realized Jessie’s cat was the culprit.
- Feral
I love tigers, but I will never take one as a pet; they are still feral beasts, no matter what.
- Ferry
If you want to keep to your budget, it’s best to stay on an overnight ferry in Japan rather than splurge on a Caribbean cruise.
- Here
Is it so bad that I want him to be here with me?
- Generous
Our father reminds us that we should be generous but pick who we help as some only want to take advantage of our kindness.
- Internet
Our internet provider asked us to restart the router every week.
- Material
What do you think is the best material to use for the house foundation?
- Mercy
The judges were asked to show no mercy to the contestants to make the episode more entertaining.
- Nerdy
I thought he was nerdy, but he was just really shy and eventually warmed up to me.
- Rerun
Jay wants us to watch a rerun of his favorite show.
- Superman
Calvin doesn’t need the costume and makeup because he is a real-life Superman.
- Verse
Taylor asked me to write a verse for her new song.
- Zero
Do you think it’s possible to have zero problems?
Words With Er in the Final Position
There are different ways to use “er” as the last part of a word. The first method is to add “er” to verbs to form nouns referring to living (run to runner) and nonliving things (peel to peeler). Another way is to develop a noun described by the word, such as describing someone’s job (law to lawyer) or residency (New York to New Yorker).
- Bumper
I’m mentally preparing myself for a night of scolding once my parents learn that I hit our family car’s bumper.
- Caller
You need to set up your business caller ID to look more professional.
- Dryer
Unlike what the website listing led us to believe, the condo unit has no dryer.
- Folder
Our teacher always puts her student’s papers in a blue folder.
- Follower
She’s a devoted follower of the religion.
- Hunter
The hunter stalks after the wild deer.
- Miner
The company is looking for an experienced miner who’s familiar with the cave they plan to enter.
- Money-saver
Avoiding expensive restaurants and cooking your own meals are great money-saver tips while on vacation.
- Opener
The can opener is by the kitchen sink.
- Painter
Van Gogh, now a renowned painter, was defeated by his manic depression in 1890.
- Player
Matthew dreams of becoming a varsity player like his father.
- Photographer
Ella is looking for a photographer to hire for their family event.
- Reader
She’s an avid reader, but I don’t think she’ll want to be in the university book club.
- Renter
The Smith family has always been a good renter, but they’ll soon leave and move to a new country.
- Teacher
The most patient person I’ve ever met was Mrs. Marinas, my first-grade teacher.
- Three-wheeler
Most Asian countries have three-wheeler motorcycles for public transportation and personal use.
- Traveler
It will be hard to locate the doctor as he’s a recluse and traveler who doesn’t stay long in one place.
- Viewer
The new series garnered an impressive amount of viewers for its first episode.
- Washer
Jake plans to apply as a car washer to help his parents finance his education.
- Writer
Maven eagerly waits for the writer to post the new chapter of his favorite story.
Words With Er: Adjectives
When “er” is added to adjectives, it becomes a comparative adjective. These are the words used to compare a person, animal, or object. It’s best to understand the different rules of comparative adjectives first before applying “er” to adjectives to avoid mistakes.
- Better
The new store at the corner of the street has a better clothes selection than the old place.
- Bigger
Belinda wants a bigger venue for her birthday party.
- Closer
My father’s new job is closer to our house.
- Cooler
William is looking forward to moving to Scotland because it has a cooler temperature than America.
- Easier
She finds it easier to write one-shot stories rather than chaptered ones.
- Friendlier
Geneva’s sister is friendlier than her.
- Fresher
My mother sent my father back to the market to find fresher vegetables.
- Funnier
Their friends find Timothy funnier than Gabriel.
- Happier
I think it’s best if you let him go if he’ll be happier with his new lover.
- Harder
The broken car didn’t even move an inch! We must push it harder.
- Higher
I think we’ll have a higher score than the previous contestants.
- Lighter
Jasmine wants to try a lighter shade of brown for her hair color.
- Longer
She cut her hair super short, and now even her brother has longer hair than her.
- Nicer
Her new boyfriend may not be as handsome as her ex, but he’s nicer.
- Prettier
Elisa is looking for a prettier dress than the one she wore to the prom last year.
- Rounder
Is it just me, or does the moon look rounder tonight?
- Sharper
He doesn’t participate in class often, but he’s actually a genius who’s sharper than anyone in our university.
- Shorter
Pinky is shorter than the other cabin crew, but she’s still an airline stewardess.
- Stronger
Hurricanes today are stronger than they used to be in the past due to climate change.
- Warmer
It’s warmer today compared to the last few days since summer is nearly here.
Common Er Words
Since many words in the English language contain “er,” it’s inevitable to encounter them daily. Sometimes you don’t even notice how often you use these words when writing or talking. Some common “er” words are as follows:
- Beer
I don’t want to get too drunk, so I’ll just get a beer tonight.
- Dinner
Our clan will have a family dinner to celebrate grandma’s birthday.
- Eager
Nicole is very eager about the upcoming holiday because her family plans to go to Finland.
- Greater
I think Team A has a greater chance of winning the contest.
- Hero
JK’s favorite Marvel hero is Ironman.
- Internship
I can’t believe the famous IT company in our area has offered me an internship.
- Letter
My parents used to exchange letters when they were younger.
- Mother
My mother works at the local bakery.
- Offer
Jun is still thinking about the pros and cons of the company’s offer to finance his move abroad.
- Over
Venus asked me to come over today to finish our assignment.
- Paper
It’s dangerous to write your account passwords on paper.
- Prefer
I prefer singing to dancing.
- Power
There has been a recurring power shortage since the other day.
- Router
We need to call maintenance to fix our internet router.
- Summer
Among the four seasons, summer is what I hate the most.
- Surgery
Her surgery is this weekend, but her manager refused to give her sick leave.
- Trailer
Did you see the new trailer for the upcoming Viola Davis movie? It was awesome!
- Transfer
Daniel has to transfer to another school because of his father’s new work.
- Version
I can’t believe I submitted the unedited version of my writing to my teacher.
- Very
Hana is very sad at the news of her grandfather passing away.
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