How do the British pronounce squirrel?
Is Squirrel hard to pronounce?
It is difficult to pronounce because it it has both “r” and “l” in the same syllable and the preceding vowel itself is “r-colored.” /r/ and /l/ are referred to in phonology as “liquids,” and trying to produce both of them in a row can be challenging.
Why do Americans pronounce squirrel wrong?
WHY do Americans pronounce ‘squirrel‘ as a monosyllable? According to R J Pickles: ‘It is the result of a genetic speech defect where the tongue, when rolling a double ‘r’ in anticipation of the ‘e’, goes into a spasm which can only be relieved by the pronunciation of an ‘l’.