STROKES RAY & AR

There are two strokes to represent the R sound. A longhand R is always shown in the outline, even though some speakers do not sound it in speech.
 

Ray Ar

Ray is a shallow upstroke. Ar is a quarter of a circle.

Ray is used when it has no vowel before it, like its name, and Ar is used when it has a vowel before it, like its name.

They are also used as alternatives for each other, for other reasons: keeping the outline level (not rising or descending too far) and providing a clear join with certain other strokes.
 

(A)

Ray

Written upward at a shallow angle of 30 degrees. It cannot be mistaken for Chay as it is always written upwards and any joinings will show this. When alone, it is clearly different due to its shallower angle.

A first place vowel goes at the bottom, as that is where the Ray stroke begins.

At the beginning of an outline, Ray is used when there is no vowel before it:
 

raw ray rock rug wrong ring/wring

As with strokes Way and Yay, stroke Ray is steepened slightly when followed by a downstroke, so that their bases are reasonably level:
 

rope rob rate wrote root/route

road ready rich wreath rosy rush

At the end of an outline, after other strokes, it is used when a vowel follows it:
 

borrow berry/bury dairy jury carry

Gary ferry vary merry Mary

It is used in the middle of an outline to keep the outline level and provide clear joins:
 

party park mark torch charge

merge emerge Martha mirth birth/berth

With these, one would expect a Ray, as a vowel follows the R sound:
 

parade borrowed married carried
 

garage charity authority America

Ar

Ar is written downwards and is used when a vowel comes before it:
 

air airy ear oar/ore or

early arm error arrear per

pair/pear bar bear/bare tear tour door

chore jar car gear mar
 

far four fear form

veer revere shore share lair
 

puller tailor/Taylor colour miller

(B) Other uses of Ray and Ar

Ray is used at the beginning of an outline before the downstrokes T D Chay J Ith Thee, even if there is a vowel before it, to get a clear join:
 

arty erratic arid erode

arch urge earth earthly

Ray is used at the end of an outline to avoid three downstrokes, even though no vowel follows it, thus preventing the outline from descending too far:
 

firmer abjure debar

Ray is used after a straight upstrokes Ray Way Yay, even though no vowel follows it, as that is quicker to write and avoids the indistinct angle if Ar were used:
 

rare roar rear

uproar aware career

mirror yore lawyer

The following have to be written with a final Ar, as three straight strokes in a line would be unreadable:

rarer roarer

Ar is always used before M, even if no vowel comes before it, to make a clear angle:
 

ram roam/Rome rim room remove

Short Forms
 

are our/hour thank-ed large whose

your year

Derivatives

hourly yearly tomorrow already

(C) Phrases

are the, are we, we are, and we

of your, to your, on your, but your, for your

of the year, to the year, for the year, in the year

SUMMARY

• Ray has no vowel before it: road

• Ar has a vowel before it: air

• Ray is used in the middle to keep the outline level: party

• Ray is used at the end to avoid having three downstrokes: firmer

• Ray is used at the beginning before T D Chay Jay, to make a clear angle: erode

• Ray is used after Ray Way Yay to continue the motion: career aware lawyer

• Ar is always used before M: arm roam

EXTRA VOCABULARY
 

row rack rocking wreck

rag rig rogue reek/wreak rook

rap/wrap rape reap robe rib
 

rot wrote/rote writ rod red/read

raid ruddy rid reed/read rude

retch/wretch ridge ranch wrench range

wrath* wroth* wreathe rash racy

* "wrath" noun = anger, "wroth" adjective =angry

relief relieve re-live

rung/wrung rank rink rarity

parry perry Terry curry

curried furry reverie Murray

memo memory narrow Nora

Laura thorough murky pork

cherry Jerry injury

factory victory

bark barge birch perch parch

purge lurch larch gorge

forty forth fourth firth

 corny tardy barb rhubarb

girth dearth Perth Murphy

yarrow parity porridge parish boorish

burrowed buried/berried marriage carriage

barrage garish tarried torrid

tyranny gorilla marina thoroughly

err eerie era arrow

array ark arcade irk army

Armada Arab Arabic orb

par pour/pore poor peer/pier appear

bore beer/bier tar tore dare

deer jeer shore sheer assure

core gore fair/fare fir fur

fork mare moor lore

lure allure leer lark lurk

alarm bowler taller jailer

mailer collar cooler killer

rummage remedy remake

Top of page