Etymology

Contraction of "we (a)re".

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɪə(ɹ)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /wɪɹ/, /wɪɚ/
• (Some southern English accents) IPA^(key): /wɜː(ɹ)/ (stressed); IPA^(key): /wə(ɹ)/ (unstressed)