Talk:earlier

previous

Is there any reason to prefer "occurring previously" rather than just "previous"? In fact its adverb is defined as "previously;" --Backinstadiums (talk) 17:25, 1 December 2019 (UTC)

contrastive stress

According to Longman Pronunciation Dict:

-er: ə ǁ ər . Dirtier: ˈdɝːt̬ i‿ər. 
—On rare occasions this suffix receives contrastive stress, and is then pronounced ˈɝː, thus not early, but earliER  ˌɝːliˈɝː, interviewEE and interviewER 
ˌɪnt̬ərvjuːˈɝː

--Backinstadiums (talk) 15:05, 3 July 2020 (UTC)