English phonemes
The sounds and their spellings
The áccents on bold example words indicate stressed vowels and their pronunciation. An equals sign shows homophones, with words in italics suggesting meaning: sêen saw = scêne scenic, drama, crime. The bullet (●) represents any consonant. AmE = American English, BrE = British English.
Vowels and diphthongs
IPA /i:/ ê êa êe ê●e êi ìê aê oê ì ỳ êỳ êo
ê: bê mê récipê catástrophê Penélopê Lêthê hypërbolê mêthane sêrum dêvious mêdia rêtail dêmon Êly mêtre BrE distance, poem
êa: sêa water lêave hêat sêat bêat hit nêat êasy mêal drêam têam hêath
êe: sêe vision frêe trêe fêel whêel grêed fêed spêed bêet sugar êel rêel
ê●e: Pêter scêne êven fêver mêter all AmE, BrE machine only complête compête
êi: after c: percêive recêive recêipt (-êit) concêit concêive cêiling; after w: wêird wêir (but: wìêld); sêize Shêila Nêil Nêill O´Nêill
ìê: before v: belìêve relìêve grìêve
aê: stressed, from Greek (BrE): Aêschylus encyclopaêdia; unstressed in Latin plurals: nébulae nôvae fŏrmulae
oê: BrE (AmE has ê alone) from Greek: Oêdipus amoêba foêtus oêstrogen oenólogy subpoêna
ì: from French: machìne Christìne magazìne nìche elìte
ỳ: normally unstressed: fúnny sílly crâzy lâzy êasy wítty dextérity Yvétte Yvónne; stressed: Lỳón Lỳse Mervỳna
êỳ: unstressed: nôsey pôsey láckey jóckey balôney álley Hàrvey
êo: pêople
IPA /ɪ/ í ý u o e ’ eí íe
í: sít fít sítter fítter fítting bít líd híd bíd stíll bíll Wílliam Bíll fíll línt tínt wríst pín tílt míddle ínch fíg bíg
ý: týpical sýnthesis sýnagogue sýmptom cýst mýstic mýth trýst Dýlan
u: business busy
o: women
e: unstressed: Jôneses Bíggses Báxes táxes cópses fléxes
’: unstressed: Jônes’s Bíggs’s Báx’s
eí: unstressed -feít: còunterfeít fŏrfeít sürfeít
íe: unstressed: pàrtíes fámilíes lórríes cárríes cárríed márríed pólicíes
IPA /e/ é éa ai u
é: béd Néd wét sét pén hén méss dréss pép séven eléven Dévon Édward Téd bréd breed cléver éver évery néver tén ténth dén crést
éa: déath bréath bréast déad héad bréad food héaven thréat thréaten
ai: said
u: bury
IPA /æ/ á
fát cát sát mát Ánthony ánt bág dágger fán pán áttic spásm cáttle brásh ásh
redundant i in: pláit
redundant e in Gáelic Scotland (= Gállic France); cf. Gâelic Ireland
This sound is never final.
American English uses a long version of á instead of BrE à except in fàther Coloràdo Chicàgo pajàmas (BrE pyjàmas) càlm quàlm bàlm àlms or when an r follows.
IPA /ɑ/ à àr àl ó
Words pronounced with à in both British and American English are:
à: fàther Chicàgo Coloràdo AmE pajàmas BrE pyjàmas
al: (silent l) càlm bàlm quàlm àlms
and whenever an r (always heard in AmE, silent final or before a consonant in BrE) follows:
àr: màr bàr càr vàrnish pàrk màrvel stàr scàr bizàrre hàrm àrm fàr càrt fàrmer scàr pàrt màrk stàrch pàrch màrch hàrd gàrden làrge
The following are pronounced à in BrE, a long á in AmE:
ā: Irān Irāq cān’t grānt āfter crāft lāugh grāph āunt dānce
before s: pāst fāst cāstle māster clāss ghāstly nāsty grāss lāst plāster cāst pāss tāsk blāst āsk
before th: rāther pāth bāth rāther lāther
āl: with silent l: hālf cālf hālve
ó in AmE is pronounced à as follows:
IPA /ɒ/ ó à
BrE only: AmE replaces this sound with à.
ó: hót gót spót bóther dóg dóll nót stóp lóst óften slób slóppy cróss nód ódd shóne óff tóffee
ough as -óff: cóugh tróugh
a:
after ẁ: ẁant ẁas ẁash ẁasp ẁarren ẁander ẁarrant
after ẁh: ẁhat
after sẁ: sẁap sẁan sẁab sẁamp
after qù: qùantity qùantum qùad qùash sqùash sqùad sqùabble
IPA /ɔ/ å åw åu åugh ŏr ŏre ŏrps ŏor ŏa ŏur ŏugh
r is silent in BrE, heard in AmE.
å: wåter ålso
before lk: chålk tålk stålk wålk bålk
before ll: åll fåll tåll båll
before lt: ålter fålter Wålter hålt althôugh
åw: såw see, tool åwful bråwl cråwl fåwn colour, deer, grovel bråwn clåw påw animal swårm wårm wårn wård jåw Shåw måw
åu: cåuse påuse fåult exhåust fåun god
åugh: cåught tåught åught nåughty Wåugh
ŏr: ŏr either fŏr nŏr cóndŏr fŏrt pŏrt sŏrt shŏrt whŏrl
ŏre: ŏre metal cŏre centre gŏre pŏre skin scŏre sŏre pain bŏre tedium, hole ignŏre deplŏre restŏre whŏre (h-) mŏre extra
ŏrps: cŏrps army
ŏor: dŏor pŏor broke, unfortunate flŏor bŏor rude mŏor land
ŏa: brŏad abrŏad
ŏar: ŏar boat bŏar animal sŏar fly
ŏur: fŏur pŏur mŏurn tŏurnament
ŏugh: fŏught bŏught sŏught brŏught
IPA /ʊ/ ù oò oùl où o
ù: pùt fùll pùsh bùsh bùll pùll cùshion
oò: goòd woòd soòt foòt woòl
oùl: only in shoùld coùld woùld
où: poùffe
o: woman wolf
IPA /u:/ û ûe û●e ûi oû oûgh oô eŵ ŵ o
û: gnû Stû flû ill gùrû êmû pûny Mûnich jûry Trûdi dûbious rûling mûtiny nûtrient
ûe: flûe chimney trûe blûe colour glûe cûe drama, billiards queûe wait (*kyû)
û•e: Jûne jûte flûte tûne dûpe Drûse trûth Rûth fûneral
ûi: frûit jûice slûice crûise
oû: groûp soûp coûp hit (= coô bird)
oûgh: throûgh
oô: shoô soôn foôd broôd foôl schoôl toôl moôn troôp loôp droôp loôse choôse groôvy loôt toô also, much (= two 2 = to particle)
eŵ: neŵ neŵs vieŵ cheŵ revieŵ Jeŵ bleŵ blow
ŵ: unstressed in Rŵánda
ŵo: tŵo 2
o: do who (*hû) shoe lose move prove to particle