Does the word "pirate" use the /aɪɚ/ phoneme, or the /aɪɹ/ phoneme?

Question

I'm making a list of all of the graphemes can be used to make the phoneme /aɪɚ/ in General American.

-ire as in fire, wire, desire, sapphire, etc.
-yre as in lyre, pyre, tyre, etc.

I have questions about a grapheme that is close, but I think doesn't quite map onto the /aɪɚ/ phoneme:

I don't think the word "pirate" is pronounced with the final "ɚ" sound in "aɪɚ".  Wiktionary gives the pronunciation for pirate as /ˈpaɪ̯(ə)ɹət/.  Is /aɪ̯(ə)ɹ/ the same thing as /aɪɹ/, similar to how "ir" is used in spiral (/ˈspaɪɹəl/) and virus (/ˈvaɪɹəs/)? If they are indeed the same, then does the "-ir" grapheme in pirate map onto /aɪɹ/, similar to the "-ir" grapheme in virus?

Just want to confirm that the /aɪɚ/ phoneme from "fire" is separate from the /aɪɹ/ phoneme from "virus"?

LPH · Accepted Answer

The Longman Pronunciation dictionary gives /paɪᵊr ət/ (also acceptable, /ɪt/), in both BrE and Gen Am. The word has two syllables and superscript schwa stands for the pronunciation of schwa, which is not recommended; this symbol means that occasionally the sound schwa is inserted and then the word contains three syllables: /paɪ ər ət/.
LPD, 2000 p. 757

Likely syllabic consonants are shown in LPD with the symbol ᵊ, thus suddenly 'sʌd ᵊn li. LPD's regular principle is that a raised symbol indicates a sound whose inclusion LPD does not recommend (see OPTIONAL SOUNDS). Hence  this notation implies that LPD prefers bare n in the second syllable. Since there is no proper vowel in this syllable, the n must be syllabic. (Thus it is possible, though not usual, to say 'sʌd ən li rather than 'sʌd n li.

Fire
BrE: 'faɪ‿ə  (The italic ɪ shows that the sound ɪ may be absent; one or two syllables; 'fa ə, 'faə)
GenAm: faɪ‿ᵊr  (Schwa is replaced by syllabic r, but ɪ is always retained.)

Does the word "pirate" use the /aɪɚ/ phoneme, or the /aɪɹ/ phoneme?

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