Mary-marry-merry merger

Ma·ry-mar·ry-mer·ry merg·er
US, UK/ˈmɛəɹi ˈmæɹi ˈmɛɹi ˌmɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒə(ɹ)/British, Southern, Standard[ˈmɛːɹɪj ˈmaɹɪj ˈmɛɹɪj ˌmɜːd͡ʒə]/ˈmɛəɹi ˈmɛəɹi ˈmɛəɹi ˌmɝd͡ʒɚ/Scotland/ˈmeɾe ˈmaɾe ˈmɛɾe ˌmɛɾd͡ʒəɾ/

noun

A phonemic merger where the vowels in "mare", "pat", "pet" (usually pronounced mâr, păt, pĕt respectively) are pronounced the same before r, making "Mary", "marry", "merry" homophones.

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Meanings

nounthe Mary-marry-merry merger
  1. human sciencesA phonemic merger where the vowels in "mare", "pat", "pet" (usually pronounced mâr, păt, pĕt respectively) are pronounced the same before r, making "Mary", "marry", "merry" homophones.
Cite this entry
APA

Mary-marry-merry merger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary-marry-merry%20merger

MLA

“Mary-marry-merry merger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary-marry-merry%20merger. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mary-marry-merry merger,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mary-marry-merry%20merger.

Source: Mary-marry-merry merger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.