This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
The International Phonetic Alphabet charts for English dialects show the most common applications of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to represent English language pronunciations.
These charts give a partial system of diaphonemes for English. The symbols for the diaphonemes are given in bold, followed by their most common phonetic values.
Diaphoneme [1] | Phones | Examples |
---|---|---|
p | pʰ | pen |
p | spin, tip | |
b | b | but |
b̥ | web | |
t | t | sting, bet |
tʰ , ɾ , ʔ [2] | two | |
d | d | do |
d̥, ɾ [3] | odd, daddy | |
tʃ | tʃʰ | chair |
tʃ | teach, nature | |
dʒ | dʒ | gin, joy |
d̥ʒ̊ | edge | |
k | k | skin, unique, thick |
kʰ | cat, kill, queen | |
ɡ | ɡ | go, get |
ɡ̊ | beg | |
f | f , ɸ [4] | fool, enough, leaf, off, photo |
v | v , β [5] | voice, verve |
v̥ | have, of, verve | |
θ | θ , t̪ , f [6] | thing, teeth |
ð | ð , ð̥, d̪ , v [7] | this, breathe, father |
s | s | see, city, pass |
z | z | zoo |
z̥ | rose | |
ʃ | ʃ | she, sure, session, emotion, leash |
ʒ | ʒ | genre, pleasure, equation, seizure |
ʒ̊ | beige | |
h | h , ɦ , [8] ç [9] | ham, hue |
m | m , ɱ [10] | man, ham |
n | n | no, tin |
ŋ | ŋ | ringer, sing, [11] finger, drink |
l | l , ɫ , [12] l̥, ɫ̥, [13] ɤ , o , [14] | left, bell, sable, please |
r | ɹʷ , ɹ , ɾ , [15] r , [16] ɻ , ɹ̥ʷ, ɹ̥, ɾ̥, ɻ̊, [13] ʋ [17] | run, very, probably |
w | w , ʍ [13] | we, queen |
j | j | yes, nyala |
hw | ʍ , w [18] | what |
Marginal consonants | ||
x | x , χ , k , kʰ , h , ɦ , ç | loch (Scottish), [19] ugh [20] |
ʔ | ʔ | uh-oh |
ɬ | ɬ , l | Llangefni, [21] hlala gahle [22] [23] |
ɮ | ɮ | ibandla [24] [25] |
In the vowels chart, a separate phonetic value is given for each major dialect, alongside the words used to name their corresponding lexical sets. The diaphonemes for the lexical sets given here are based on RP and General American; they are not sufficient to express all of the distinctions found in other dialects, such as Australian English.
Dia- phoneme [1] | AmE | AuE [26] [27] | BahE | BarE | CaE [28] | Cameroonian English [29] | CIE | EnE | FiE | InE [30] | IrE [31] | NZE [32] [33] | PaE | ScE [34] | SIE | SAE [35] [36] | SSE | WaE [37] | Keyword | Examples | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AAVE | Boston accent | Cajun English | California English | Chicano English | General American [38] [39] [32] | Inland Northern American English | Miami accent | Mid-Atlantic English | New York accent | Philadelphia accent | Southern American English | Brummie [40] | Southern England English | Northern England English | RP [41] [42] [43] | Ulster English | West & South-West Irish English | Dublin English | Supraregional southern Irish English | Abercraf English | Port Talbot English | Cardiff English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-Rhotic | Rhotic | Older | Younger | Northern | Southern | Non-Rhotic | Older | Rhotic | Older | Non-Rhotic | Rhotic | Cultivated | General | Broad | Cockney | Estuary English (EE) | MLE [44] | West Country | Cumbrian | Geordie | Lancashire | Manchester | Pitmatic | Scouse | Yorkshire | Conservative | Contemporary | Belfast | Mid-Ulster | traditional | Ulster Scots | Local Dublin English | New Dublin English | Cultivated | General | Broad | Cultivated | General | Broad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
æ | ɛː~ɛə̯~eə̯ | ɪə̯~eə̯~ɛɐ̯ [45] | æ | eə~ɛə | æ~ɛə̯~eə̯ | eə̯~ɛə̯~æ [45] | eə̯~ɪə̯ | æ | ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯ [45] | æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯ [45] | æɛæ~eə | eə̯~æjə [45] | æː [46] | æː~ɛː [46] | æ̝ː~ɛː~e̞ː [46] | æ ~ a | a | æ ~ɛə̯ [45] | a̽ | æ | a | æ~ɛ~ɛɪ | æ~a~ɛ̞ | ɐ̞ | æː~aː | a~ä | a | a~ä | a | a~ä | æ | a | æ | æ ~ ɛ | äː ~ a | æ | a | æ ~ a | æ | ɛ | ɛ̝ | æ | ä | ɑ ~ æ | æ | a ~ æ | æ ~ ɛ ~ e̞ | ɛ [47] | a | aː [46] | aː ~ æː [46] | TRAP | ham | |||||||||||||
æ~ɛː~ɛə̯ | æ~ɛə̯ | æ~ɛə̯ | æ | æ~æɛæ~ɐɛɐ | æ~æjə~æ̠ɛæ̠ | æ~a̝ | bad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɛ~æ~a~ä | æ~æ̞ | æ, ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯ [45] | æ | æ | a̝~æ | æ~ɛ | æ ~ɛ | a | a ~ æ | lad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɑː / æ | ä~a | ɛə̯~eə̯~ɪə̯ [45] | æə̯~ɛə̯~eə̯ [45] | æɛ~æe | äː | äː~ɐː | aː | ɑː | ɑː | ɑː~ɑ̟ː~ɑ̹ː | ɑː | ɑ̟ː | ɑ̈ː~ʌ̞ː | a ~ ɑ | äː | æː ~ aː | aː | ɐː ~ äː | ɑ | ɑ̟ː | ɑː | ɒː ~ ɔː | ä [48] | BATH | pass | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɑː | a~ä~ɑ | a~ä | ɑ | ä~ɑ~ɒ | ä~a | ɑ ~ ä | a~ä | ɑ | ɑ̟ː | ɑ~ä | ɑ | ɑ | ɒ ~ ɑ | ɑː | ɒ ~ ɑ | äː | ɒː ~ ɑː | äː | aː ~ ɑː | äː | aː | äː ~ ɑː | ɑː | ɑː | aː | aː ~ æː | PALM | father | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɒ | ɒ ~ ɑ | ɒ | ɒ | ɒ~ɔ | ɒ ~ ɑ | ɔ | ɒ | ä~ɒ~ɔ̈~ɔ | ɒ ~ ɔ | ɒ~ɒ̈ | ɒ ~ ɔ | ɒ~ɑ̠ | ɒ~ɔ | ɒ | ɒ~ɔ | ɒ | ɔ | ɔ | ɔ ~ ɒ ~ ä | ɒ~ɑ~ä | äː | ɔː | ä | ɑ ~ ɒ ~ ɔ | ɑ | ɒ ~ ɔ | ɑ | ɔ | ɒ̈ | ɒ̈ ~ ʌ̈ | ɒ̈ | ɔ | ɒ | ɑ̟ | LOT | not | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɒ / ɔː | ɒ(ɔ̯)~ɔ(ʊ̯)~ɔə̯ | a | ɒ ~ ɔ ~ ɑ [49] | ɒ~ɑ | ɑ~ɔ | ɔə̯~oə̯~ʊə̯ | ɔə̯~ɒ̝ə̯ | ɔo̯~ɑɒ̯ | ɑɒ̯~ɑ | ɔ | ɒː | ɒː | o̞ː | ɒː | aː~ä | ɔː | ɒ | ɒ̈ , o̞ː | ɒ̈ ~ ʌ̈ , oː | ɒ̈ , oː | CLOTH | off [50] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɔː | ɔː | o̞ː | oː | ɒː ~ ɑː | oː ~ ɔː | o̞ː~ɔː | ɔː~ɔ̝ə̯~ɔuə̯ | ɔə̯~ɔː~ɔ̝ː | oː | ɒː~ɔː | ɔː | ɒː~ɔː | o̞ː | ɒː~ɔː | o̞ː | ɔː ~ ɒː | ɒː~ɔː~oː | ɒː | oː | o̞ː | oː | ɒ ː | ʌ̈ ː | THOUGHT | law | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
oː~oʊ~ɔo | o̟ː~o̞ː | pause | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ə | ə | ə~a̽~ɔ~ɪ~ɛ | ə | ə~ ɐ | ə~ə̝ | ə~ɐ | ə~ɔː | ə | ə~ɐ | ə | ɐ~a | ə | ə | ə | ə~ɐ | ə | ə [51] | ə | COMMA | about | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɪ | ɪ~iə̯ | ɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ | ɪ | ɪ̞ | ɪ | ɪ~ɪ̞~ɪ̈ | ɪ~ɪ̈ | ɪ | ɪ~ɪjə~iə̯ | ɪ | ɪ~i | i | ɪ | ɪ | ɪ~i | ɪ | ɪ~i | ɪ | ɪ~ɪ̈ | ɪ | ɪ | ɪ̞ | ɪ | ɪ̈~ë | ə~ɘ | ɛ | ɪ | ɪ̈ | ɪ | ɪ ~ ë̞ ~ ə ~ ʌ | ɪ | ɪ | ɪ̈ [51] | ɪ ~ i | ɪ | ɪ̞ | KIT | bit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɪ [51] | i [51] | kit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
i | ɪ~ i | i | ɪ~ i | ɪi̯~i | i | ɪi̯~i | ɪ~ɪ̈ | ɪi̯~i | i | ɪ | ɪi̯~iː | ɪi̯~əi̯ | iː | i | i | iː ~i | əi̯~i | i | ɪi̯~iː | iː | ei~ɪi | i | ɪ~e | i | ɪ~e | ɪi̯~iː | i | iː | e | iː | ɪi̯ | ɪi̯~əi̯ | i | e ~ ɪ ~ i | i | iː | i | iː | HAPPY | city | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
iː | i | i | iː | ɪi̯~i | ɪi̯~i | ɪi̯ | ɪi̯~iː | i | əi̯~ɨi̯ | əi~ɐi | ɪi | iː , ei̯ | ɪi | iː | ɪi~iː | iː , ɪ̈i̯~ɪ̈ɪ̯ | ɪi~iː | ɪi̯ | iː | ɪi̯ | iː | i | iː | FLEECE | see | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
eɪ | eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ | eɪ̯ | eː | eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ | eː | eɪ̯~e | eɪ̯ | eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ | eɪ̯ | ɛɪ~ei | ɛi̯~æ̠i̯ | ɛɪ̯ | æɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ | ɐɪ̯~äɪ̯ | eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ | eɪ̯~eː~ɛ | eɪ̯ | eː~ɛː | eɪ̯ | ɛi̯~aɪ̯~ɐɪ̯~ʌɪ̯ | æɪ~aɪ | ɛɪ̯~eɪ̯~ë̞ɪ̯ | eɪ̯ | eː~eɪ̯ | ɛː~e̞ː | eː~eɪ̯~ɪə̯ | ɛː~e̞ː | ɛɪ~e̞ɪ | ɛː~e̞ː | ɛɪ~e̞ɪ | ɛː~e̞ː | e̞ɪ̯ | eː | eː~ɪː, eə̯~ɪə̯ | eː | eː~eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯ | ɛɪ̯ | æe̯~ɐe̯ | ɐe̯ | eɪ̯~eː | e | eɪ̯~eː | eɪ̯ | eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯~æɪ̯ | æɪ̯~äɪ̯~ʌɪ̯ | e [52] | eː | ei̯ | FACE | date | ||||||||||||||||
e̞ɪ | e̞ɪ | e̞ɪ | e̞ɪ | eɪ̯ | day | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɛ | ɛ~eə̯ | ɛ | ɛ ~æ | ɛ~æ̝ | ɛ | ɛ | ɛ ~ɜ | ɛ | ɛ~e | ɛ | ɛ~eiə | ɛ~ɛjə | e̞ | e̞~e | e~e̝ | ɛ | ɛ~e | e, eɪ~eə~ɛɪ | ɛ~ɛ̞ | ɛ | e̞ | ɛ̝ | ɛ | ɛ̝ə̯ | ɛ | e̞ | e ~ e̝ | e̝ | ɛ | e̞ | e ~ e̝ | ɛ , e [53] | ɛ | DRESS | bed [54] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɪ~iə̯, ɛ~eə̯ | ɪ | ɛ~ɪ | ɪ~ɪjə~iə̯ | ɛ | pen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
i | length | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ʌ | ʌ~ɜ | ʌ~ɐ | ʌ | ʌ~ɜ~ɛ̠ | ɐ | ʌ~ɜ~ɑ̈ | ʌ~ɜ~ɐ | ʌ~ɔ | ʌ | ɐ | ʌ̈ | ʌ | ɜ | ä~ɐ | ʌ | ʌ~ɜ~ɐ | ɔ | ʌ ~ɔ | ɒ~ʌ~ə~ɤ~ʊ | ɐ̟~a | ɐ~ʌ̟~ɐ̟ | ʌ~ʌ̝ | ʌ~ʊ | ʊ | ʊ̞~ɤ | ʊ | ʊ, ʌ̈ | ʊ | ɐ | ɐ ~ ʌ̈ ~ ɑ̈ [55] | ʌ~ɐ | ə ~ ɜ ~ ɐ | ɞ ~ ʌ̈ | ʌ̈ ~ ʊ | ʊ | ɤ ~ ʊ | ʌ̈ ~ ʊ | ɐ ~ ä | ʌ | ʌ~ɐ | ɐ ~ ä | ä | ə ~ ɜ | STRUT | run | |||||||||||||||||||||
ʊ | ʊ~ʊ̜̈~ɵ~ø̞ | ʊ | ʊ~ɜ̠ | ʊ~ʊ̞ | ʊ | ə~ɔ̝ | ʊ | ʊ̈~ʏ | ʊ | ʊ~u | u | ʊ | ʊ~u | ʊ | ɤ~ʊ~ʊ̝ | ʊ~ʊ̈ | ʊ~ʊ̜̈ | ʊ~ʊ̈ | ʊ | ʊ | ɵ~ɤ̈ | ʊ | ʉ | ʊ̈ | ʊ | ʊ | ʊ~ʊ̈ | ʊ | ʉ | ʊ | ʊ ~ ɵ | ʊ ~ u | ʊ | ɘ | FOOT | put | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ʉː~ ʊ | ʊ | uː~ ʊ | hood | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
uː | ʊu̯~u | u ~ʊu̯~ɵu̯ | u | uː~ʉː~yː | ʉ̠ː | ʊ~uː | u̟ ~ʊu̯~ʉu̯~ɵu̯ | u~ɵu̯ | ʊu̯~ɵu̯~yː | u̟ː | u~ʊu̯~ɤʊ̯~ɤu̯ | ʉu̯ | ʊu~ɵu~ʊ̈y~ʏy~ʉ̞u̟ | ʊu̯ | ʊ̈ʉ̯ | ʊ̈ʉ̯~əʉ̯ | ʉː | uː | ʉu̯ | uː | uː ~ ʉ | əʉ̯~əu̯ | əʉ~ʉː~ɨː~ʊː | ʉː~ʉ̟ː~ʏː | ʏ̝ː~ʉː | uː~ʏː | ʉː | u̟ː~ʉː,ɵʊ̯ | ʊu~uː | ʏː | ʉː | ʉː , ɪ̈u̯~ɪ̈ʊ̯ | ʊu~uː | ʊu̯ | ʊ̈ʉ̯~ʉː~ɨ̞ɯ̯̈ | u | uː | uː | ʊ̈ʉ̯ | u | u | u̟ː | ʉː ~ yː | ʉː | u | uː | GOOSE | through | ||||||||||||||||||
ɪu̯ [56] | threw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
juː | (j)ʊu̯~(j)u | (j)u~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ɵu̯ | (j)uː~(j)ʉː~(j)yː | (j)ʉ̠ː | (j)ʊ~(j)u: | (j)u̟~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ʉu̯~(j)ɵu̯ | (j)u~(j)ɵu̯ | (j)ʊu̯~(j)ɵu̯~(j)yː | ju̟ː | (j)u~(j)ʊu̯~(j)ɤʊ̯~(j)ɤu̯ | (j)ʉu̯ | jʊu~jɵu~jʊ̈y~jʏy~jʉ̞u̟ | (j)ʊu~(j)ɵu~(j)ʊ̈y~(j)ʏy~(j)ʉ̞u̟ | jʊu̯ | jʊ̈ʉ̯ | jʊ̈ʉ̯~jəʉ̯ | jʉː | juː | (j)ʉu̯ | juː | juː~jʉ | jəʉ̯~jəu̯ | jəʉ~jʉː~jɨː~jʊː | jʉː~jʉ̟ː~jʏː | jʏ̝ː~jʉː | (j)uː | jʉː | ju̟ː~jʉː,jɵʊ̯ | jʊu~juː | jʏː | jʉː | jʉː, jɪ̈u̯~jɪ̈ʊ̯ | jʊu~juː | jʊu̯ | jʊ̈ʉ̯~jʉː~jɨ̞ɯ̯̈ | ju | juː | jʉ | jʊ̈ | juː | jʊ̈ʉ̯ | ju | jʉ | ju | ju̟ː | jʉː~jyː | jʉː | ju | cute | |||||||||||||||||
aɪ | äɪ̯ | ɐɪ̯ [57] | ɑɪ̯~aː | äɪ~aɪ | æɪ~aɪ~äɪ | ɐɪ̯ | ʌɪ̯~ɜɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ [57] | aɪ̯~äː | äɪ̯ | äɪ̯ | ɐɪ̯ | ai~aæ | ɐi~äɪ~äɛ~äː | äɪ̯ | ɑ̟e̯~ɑe̯ | ɑe̯~ɒe̯ | ɑɪ̯ | ʌɪ̯ | ʌɪ̯~ɜɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ [57] | a̽i | aɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~ɒɪ̯ | aɪ̯~ɒɪ̯~ɔɪ̯ | ɑɪ̯~ɒɪ̯~ɑ̟ə̯~ɑ̟ː | a̠ɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~ɑ̹ɪ̯ | æː~aɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ | ɒɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~əɪ̯ | aɪ~äɪ | äi̯ | aɪ~äɪ | aɪ̯~ɑɪ̯~aː | äɪ~äː | äɪ̯ | ɑ̈ɪ̯~ʌ̞ɪ̯ | ɐe̯ | äɪ̯ | ɐi̯~ɜi̯ [57] | æɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ | əɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ | ɑɪ̯~ɐɪ̯ | aɪ̯~ɑɪ̯ | ɑ̟ɪ̯ | ɑe̯ | ɒe̯ | ɑɪ̯ | ɜi̯,äe̯ | ɑɪ̯ | äɪ̯ | äɪ̯~ äː | ɑɪ̯~ ɑ̟ː | ai̯ | ɐ̟ɪ̯ | ɜɪ̯ | ɜi̯ | PRICE | flight | |||||||||||
äː~äe̯~aː | äɪ̯ | äɪ̯ | aɪ̯~ae̯~æɪ̯ | ɑɪ̯~ɒɪ̯~äɪ̯ | äɪ̯ | aɪ~æɛ~aæ | äː~äɛ | ɑɪ̯ | äe̯~ɜi̯ | my | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɔɪ | oɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯ | oɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔoɪ | oi̯ | o̞ɪ̯ | oɪ̯ | oɪ̯~ɑɪ̯ | oɪ̯~ʌɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯ | oi | ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔ̝ɪ~oɪ | ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔ̝ɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɔɪ | oe̯ | ɔɪ | oɪ | ɔɪ | ɔɪ̯ | əɪ̯~ɑɪ̯ | aɪ̯~äɪ̯ | ɒɪ̯~oɪ̯ | ɒɪ̯ | oɪ̯ | oe̯ | ɔɪ̯ | oi̯ | ɔɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯~ɒɪ̯ | ɔɪ̯ | ɔi̯ | ɔɪ̯ | ɒɪ̯ | ʌ̈i̯ | CHOICE | boy | ||||||||||||||||||||||
oʊ | ʌʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ | oʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ | oː | oʊ̯~ʌʊ̯~o̞ | o̞~o | oʊ̯~ʌʊ̯~o̞ | ʌo̯~oʊ̯~ o | oʊ̯~oː | oʊ̯ | oʊ̯~ʌ̈ʊ̯ | ɘʊ̯~ɜʊ̯ | ɔu~ɒu | ɜʊ~ɜʊ̈~ɜʏ~ɘʊ̯ | ɵ̞ʊ̯ | ɜʉ̯~ɐʉ̯ | ɐʉ̯~äʉ̯ | oʊ̯~ɵʊ̯ | oː~oə̯ | oʊ̯ | o | əʊ̯ | ʌʊ̯~ɐʊ̯~aʊ̯ | æ̈ɤ̈~æ̈ɤ̝̈~ɐɤ̈~ɐɤ̝̈~ æ̈ʊ~ɐʊ~aʊ~ɐø~ œ̈ø~ʌ̈ː~œ̈ | əʏ̯~əʊ̯ | oː~oʊ̯~ɵʊ̯ | oʊ̯ | oː~ɔː | oː~ʊə̯~ɵː | oː~ɔː | ɔʊ~ɔo | oː~ɔː | ɛʉ̯~ɛʊ̯~eʉ̯~ eʊ̯~əʉ̯~əʊ̯ | oː~ɔː | əʊ̯ | əʉ̯ | oː | ʌo̯~ʌɔ̯ | əʊ̯ | oʊ̯~əʊ̯ | ɵʊ̯ | ɜʉ̯~ɐʉ̯ | ɐʉ̯ | oː~oʊ̯ | o̝ | oː~oʊ̯ | ɛʊ̯~œʊ̯ | œʉ̯~œɤ̯̈~œː | ʌʊ̯ | o [52] | oː | ɘu̯ | GOAT | no | |||||||||||||
ou̯ | oʊ̯ | tow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɔʊ̯~ oː | oʊ̯~ʌʊ̯~ɔʊ̯~oː | ɔʊ̯~oː | oː ~oʊ̯ | ɔu̯ | ɒʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ | ɒʊ~ɔo~aɤ | ɒʊ̯~ɒɤ̯ | ɔʊ̯ | ɒʊ̯~ɔʊ̯ | ɔo̯ | soul | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
aʊ | æɔ̯~æə̯ | ɐʊ̯ [57] | aʊ̯~aː | äʊ̯ | äʊ̯~aʊ̯~æʊ̯ | äʊ̯~ɐʊ̯ | æʊ̯ | ɑ̈ʊ̯ | aʊ̯~æʊ̯ | æʊ̯~ɛɔ̯ | æɒ~æɔ | æɒ̯~ɛjɔ~ɜʊ̯ | äʊ̯ | aɔ̯~ao̯~æɔ̯~æo̯ | æo̯~æə̯~ɛo̯~ɛə̯ | ao̯~ɑə̯~aɵ~aɛ̯ | ʌʊ̯ | ʌʊ̯~ɜʊ̯ [57] | a̽u | aʊ̯ | æə̯~æʊ̯~ɛʉ̯~ɛ̝̈ʊ̯ | æʊ~æə~æː~aː~æiə | æʊ̯~æʏ̯~aʊ̯~aʏ̯ | ɑʊ̯~aː | æy~ɐʏ̯~ɐʊ̯~ɛɪ̯ | aʊ | äu̯~æu̯~ɛu̯~əu̯~uː | aʊ | ɐʊ | aʊ | ɑ̟ʊ̯ | aʊ̯ | aɔ̯ | äʊ̯ | ɐʏ̯~ɜʉ̯ | ɐʊ̯~ʌʊ̯ | ɛʊ̯ | aʊ̯~ɛʊ̯ | aʊ̯ | æo̯ | ɛo̯~ɛə̯ | ɑʊ̯ | ɜʉ̯ | ɑʊ̯ | äʊ̯ | äː | æʊ̯ | au̯ | ɐu̯ | ɜʊ̯ | ɑ̟u̯ | MOUTH | about | |||||||||||||
ɑ̟ʊ̯ | äʊ̯~ɑʊ̯ | now | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɑːr | ɑ(ɹ)~ɒ(ɹ) | ɑɹ~ɒɹ | a(ɹ)~ä(ɹ) | ɑ(ɹ)~a(ɹ) | ɑɹ | ɑɹ~ɒɹ | ɑɹ | äɻ~ɐɻ | ɑɹ | ɑ̟ə̯(ɹ) | ɒə̯(ɹ) | äə̯(ɹ) | ɑɹ~ɒɹ | ɑɹ | ɑː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ) | ɑɹ~ɒɹ | äː(ɹ) | äː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ) | ɑː(ɹ) | aːɹ | ɑɹ~ɐɹ | a̽~a̽ː | ɑː(ɾ) | ɑː(ɹ) | ɑː(ɹ)~ɑ̟ː(ɹ)~ɑ̹ː(ɹ) | ɑː(ɹ) | äɻ | äː(ɹ) | ɒː(ɾ)~ɑː(ɹ) | äː(ɹ) | aː(ɾ)~ɑː(ɾ) | äː(ɹ) | ɑ̟ː(ɹ) | ɑ̈ː(ɹ)~ʌ̞ː(ɹ) | ɑː(ɹ) | äː(ɾ) | ɑɻ | æːɹ~aɹ | äːɹ~ɑɹ | ɐː(ɹ)~äː(ɹ) | ɑɹ | äɾ | ɑː(ɾ) | ɑ̟ː(ɹ) | ɑː(ɹ) | ɒː(ɾ)~ɔː(ɾ) | ä(ɹ) | aː(ɾ) | aː(ɹ)~æː(ɹ) | START | arm | |||||||||||||||
ɪər | iə̯(ɹ)~iɤ̯(ɹ) | iɹ | ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɪɐ̯(ɹ) | i(ɹ)~ɪ(ɹ) | ɪɹ~iɹ | iɻ~iə̯ɻ | iɹ | ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪə̯(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ) | ɪɹ~iɹ | iɹ | i(ɹ) | iɹ | ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~iː(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ) | iː(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ) | iə̯(ɹ)~eə̯(ɹ) | eːɹ | ɪɹ | ia̽ | iə̯(ɾ)~ɪə̯(ɾ) | ɘiɐ(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ)~ɪə̯(ɹ)~ɜː(ɹ) | iə(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~ɪiɐ(ɹ) | ɪː(ɹ)~ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪː(ɹ) | iɻ | ɪə(ɹ) | iɐ̯(ɹ) | ɪə | iɛ̯(ɾ) | ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪ̞ː(ɹ)~ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪə̯(ɹ)~iə̯(ɹ) | ɪə̯(ɾ)~iː(ɾ) | iːɹ | ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪə̯(ɹ) [58] | ɪɹ~iɹ | iə̯ɾ | ɪə̯(ɾ)~iə̯(ɾ) | ɪə̯(ɹ) | ɪə̯(ɾ)~ɪː(ɾ) | iə̯(ɹ) | iːə(ɾ)~jøː(ɾ) | iːə(ɹ)~jøː(ɹ) | NEAR | deer | |||||||||||||||||||
ɛər | ɛə̯(ɹ) | ɛɹ | ɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛɐ̯(ɹ) | ɛ(ɹ)~æ(ɹ) | eɹ | eɹ~ɛɹ | eə̯ɻ~eɻ | eɹ | ɛə̯(ɹ) | ɛə̯(ɹ)~eə̯(ɹ) | ɛɹ~eɹ | eɹ | ɛ(j)(ɹ) | e̞ɹ~ɛ(j)ɹ | e̞ə̯(ɹ) | e̞ː(ɹ)~eː(ɹ) | eː(ɹ)~e̝ː(ɹ) | eə̯(ɹ) | ɛɹ | ɛ | ɛə̯(ɾ) | ɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛː(ɹ)~ɜː(ɹ) | ɛ̝ə(ɹ)~ɛː(ɹ)~ɛiə(ɹ) | ɛ̝ː(ɹ)~e̞ː(ɹ) | ɛː(ɹ) | eɻ | ɛː(ɹ) | ɪː(ɾ)~eː(ɾ)~ëː(ɾ)~ɛː(ɾ)~ ɛ̈ː(ɾ)~œː(ɾ)~əː(ɾ)~ ɘː(ɾ)~ɜː(ɾ)~ɵː(ɾ) | ɛː(ɹ) | ɛə̯(ɹ) | ɛː(ɹ)~ɛə̯(ɹ) | ɛə̯(ɹ) | ɛə̯(ɾ)~eː(ɾ) | ɚː | ɛːɹ | eːɹ | e̞ə̯(ɹ) | ɛɹ | eə̯ɾ | ɛə̯(ɾ)~ɛɐ̯(ɾ) | ɛə̯(ɹ) | ɛə̯(ɹ)~ɛː(ɹ)~eː(ɹ) | eː(ɾ)~e̝ː(ɾ) | ɛ(ɹ) | ɛː(ɾ) | ɛː(ɹ)~eː(ɹ) | SQUARE | mare | ||||||||||||||||||
ɜːr | ɚ | ɚ | əː(ɹ) | ɚ | ʌə(ɹ)~ʌɹ | ɝ | ɚ | ɚ~ɝ | ɚ ~əɻ | ɚ | ɜː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ) | ɚ | əɪ̯ | ɚ | ɜ(ɹ) | ɚ~ɐɹ | əː(ɹ) | əː(ɹ)~ɘː(ɹ) | ɘː(ɹ)~ɵː(ɹ) | ə(ɹ)~ɜ(ɹ)~ɜi̯(ɹ) | ɤ | ɚ | ɛ~ɔ | əː(ɾ) | ɵ̝ː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)~ɜː(ɹ) | ɜː(ɹ)~ɜ̟ː(ɹ)~œ̈ː(ɹ) | ɜː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ) | əː(ɹ) | ɜɻ | ɜː~ɛ | øː(ɹ)~ɪː(ɹ)~əː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ) | ɜː~ɛ | ɜː~ɛ | əː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ) | əː(ɹ) | əː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ) | ɜː(ɾ)~äɾ | ɚː | ɚː [59] | ɚː | ʊːɹ [59] | ɚː | ɵː(ɹ) | ɚ | ʌɾ [59] | əː(ɾ)~ɐː(ɾ) | əː(ɹ)~ɐː(ɹ) | ø̈ː(ɹ)~ø̞̈ː(ɹ) | ø̈ː(ɾ)~ø̞̈ː(ɾ) | ə(ɹ) | əː(ɾ) | øː(ɾ) | øː(ɹ) | NURSE | burn | |||||||||||
ɪɾ~ʌɾ [59] | bird | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
əɹ | ɛːɹ [59] | ɛːɹ [59] | ɛɾ [59] | earth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ər | ə(ɹ) | ə(ɹ) | ɚ | ɚ | ə(ɹ) | ə(ɹ) | ə(ɹ) | ɚ | ə(ɹ) | ə~a̽~ɔ~ɪ~ɛ | œ(ɾ)~ə(ɾ) | ə(ɹ)~ɐ(ɹ) | ə(ɹ)~ə̝(ɹ) | ə(ɹ)~ɐ(ɹ) | əɻ | ə(ɹ)~ɜ(ɹ) | ə(ɹ) | ɐ(ɹ)~a(ɹ) | ə(ɾ) | ɚ | ə(ɹ) | əɾ | ə(ɾ)~ɐ(ɾ) | ə(ɹ) | ə(ɾ) | ə(ɾ) | ə(ɹ) | LETTER | winner [60] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ʌə(ɹ)~ʌɹ | donor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ɔːr | oə̯(ɹ)~ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɔo̯(ɹ) | oɹ | ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɒə̯(ɹ)~ɒ(ɹ) | ɔə(ɹ)~ɔɹ | ɔɹ~oɹ | oɹ~ɔɹ | oɹ~ɔɹ | ɔɻ~oɻ | oɹ~ɔɹ | ɔə̯(ɹ) | oɐ̯(ɹ)~ɔə̯(ɹ) | oɹ~ɔɹ | ɔə̯(ɹ) | ɔɹ | o̞ː(ɹ) | oː(ɹ) | ɔə̯(ɹ) | ɒːɹ~ɑːɹ | ɔɹ | ɔ | ɑː(ɾ)~əː(ɾ) | o̞ː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ) | ɔː(ɹ)~ɔ̝ə(ɹ)~ɔuə(ɹ), oː(ɹ)~oʊ(ɹ)~ɔo(ɹ) | o̟ː~o̞ː, ɔə̯(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ)~ɔ̝ː | oː(ɹ) | ɔɻ~oɻ | ɔː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ) | ɔː(ɹ) | ɔː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ) | o̞ː(ɹ) | ɔː(ɹ)~ɒː(ɹ) | o̞ː(ɹ) | oː(ɹ) | ɔː(ɾ)~ɒː(ɾ) | ɔːɹ | äːɹ~ɑːɹ | ɒːɹ~oːɹ | oː(ɹ) | oɹ | ɔɾ | oː(ɾ) | o̞ː(ɹ) | oː(ɹ) | oː(ɾ) | ɔ(ɹ) | ɒː(ɾ) | ʌ̈ː(ɹ) | NORTH | sort | |||||||||||||||||
ɔə̯(ɹ)~oɐ̯(ɹ) | o(u)ə(ɹ) | o(u)ɹ | oə̯(ɹ) | oːɹ | oː(ɾ)~əː(ɾ) | o̞ː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ), ʌʊ̯ə(ɹ) | oːɹ | ɔːɹ | ɒːɹ | oːɹ | o̝(ə̯)ɾ | oː(ɾ) | FORCE | tore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ʊər | ʊə̯(ɹ)~ʊɐ̯(ɹ) | uə(ɹ)~ʊə(ɹ) | ʊɹ~ɔɹ~oɹ | ʊɹ~ɔɹ~oɹ | uɻ~oɻ | uɹ~ɚ | ʊə̯(ɹ) | uə̯(ɹ) | uɹ~ɚ | ʊə̯(ɹ) | ʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),oː(ɹ) | uə̯(ɹ) | ʊɹ~ɔɹ | uə̯(ɾ) | ɘua(ɹ)~ɘʉa(ɹ)~ʊa̯(ɹ)~ʊə̯(ɹ), ɔː(ɹ)~o̞ː(ɹ) | ʊə(ɹ)~ʊː(ɹ), ɔː(ɹ)~ɔ̝ə(ɹ)~ɔuə(ɹ), oː(ɹ)~oʊ(ɹ)~ɔo(ɹ) | ʊə(ɹ) | uɐ̯(ɹ) | ʊə(ɹ) | uɛ̯(ɾ)~ɪ̈u̯ə(ɾ)~ɪ̈ʊ̯ə(ɾ)~ o̞ː(ɾ) | ʊə̯(ɹ) | ɵː(ɹ)~ɤ̈ː(ɹ),o̞ː(ɹ) | oə̯(ɹ) | ʊə̯(ɾ)~uː(ɾ) | uːɹ | ʊə̯(ɹ) | ʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),oː(ɹ) | oɚ | ʉɾ | oə̯(ɾ)~oɐ̯(ɾ) | ʊə̯(ɹ) | ʊə̯(ɹ)~oː(ɹ) | uə̯(ɹ) | uːə(ɾ) | uːə(ɹ)~ʌ̈ː(ɹ) | CURE | tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
jʊər | juə̯(ɹ)~jʊə̯(ɹ) | juɹ~jʊɹ | jʊə̯(ɹ)~jʊɐ̯(ɹ) | juə(ɹ)~jʊə(ɹ) | jʊɹ~jɔɹ~joɹ | jʊɹ~jɔɹ~joɹ~jɚ | jʊɹ~juɹ~jɚ | jɚ | jʊ~juɹ~jɚ | jʊə̯(ɹ) | juɐ̯(ɹ)~juə̯(ɹ) | juɹ | jɔɹ~joɹ~jɚ | juə̯(ɹ) | juɹ~jɚ | jʊə̯(ɹ) | jʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),joː(ɹ) | juə̯(ɹ) | joːɹ | jɚ~jʊɹ~jɵɹ | jɔ | juə̯(ɾ) | jɘua(ɹ)~jɘʉa(ɹ)~jʊa̯(ɹ)~jʊə̯(ɹ), jɔː(ɹ)~jo̞ː(ɹ) | jʊə(ɹ)~jʊː(ɹ), jɔː(ɹ)~jɔ̝ə(ɹ)~jɔuə(ɹ), joː(ɹ)~joʊ(ɹ)~jɔo(ɹ) | jʉ̜ə̯(ɹ)~jʊ̜ə̯(ɹ)~jɔ̝ː(ɹ) | joː(ɹ) | jʊɻ | jʊə(ɹ) | juɐ̯(ɹ) | jʊə(ɹ) | jo̞ː(ɾ) | jʊə̯(ɹ) | jɵː(ɹ)~jɤ̈ː(ɹ),jo̞ː(ɹ) | joə̯(ɹ) | jʊə̯(ɾ)~juː(ɾ) | juːɹ | jʊə̯(ɹ) | jʊ̈ʉ̯ə(ɹ),joː(ɹ) | joɚ | jʉɾ | joə̯(ɾ)~joɐ̯(ɾ) | jʊə̯(ɹ) | jʊə̯(ɹ)~joː(ɹ) | joː(ɾ) | jɔ(ɹ) | ɪuːə(ɾ) | juːə(ɹ)~jʌ̈ː(ɹ) | pure |
The following abbreviations are used in the above table:
See Pronunciation respelling for English for phonetic transcriptions used in different dictionaries.
IPA | Explanation | |
---|---|---|
ˈ | Primary stress indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, rapping/ˈræpɪŋ/ | |
ˌ | Secondary stress/full vowel indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, pronunciation/prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/ | |
. | Syllable separation indicator; for example, ice cream/ˈaɪs.kriːm/ vs. I scream/ˌaɪ.ˈskriːm/ | |
̩ | ̍ | Syllabic consonant indicator (placed under the syllabic consonant); for example, ridden[ˈɹɪdn̩] |
Received Pronunciation (RP) is the accent traditionally regarded as the standard and most prestigious form of spoken British English. For over a century, there has been argument over such questions as the definition of RP, whether it is geographically neutral, how many speakers there are, whether sub-varieties exist, how appropriate a choice it is as a standard, and how the accent has changed over time. The name itself is controversial. RP is an accent, so the study of RP is concerned only with matters of pronunciation, while other areas relevant to the study of language standards, such as vocabulary, grammar, and style, are not considered.
In phonetics, rhotic consonants, or "R-like" sounds, are liquid consonants that are traditionally represented orthographically by symbols derived from the Greek letter rho, including ⟨R⟩, ⟨r⟩ in the Latin script and ⟨Р⟩, ⟨p⟩ in the Cyrillic script. They are transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet by upper- or lower-case variants of Roman ⟨R⟩, ⟨r⟩: ⟨r⟩, ⟨ɾ⟩, ⟨ɹ⟩, ⟨ɻ⟩, ⟨ʀ⟩, ⟨ʁ⟩, ⟨ɽ⟩, and ⟨ɺ⟩. Transcriptions for vocalic or semivocalic realisations of underlying rhotics include the ⟨ə̯⟩ and ⟨ɐ̯⟩.
Spoken English shows great variation across regions where it is the predominant language. The United Kingdom has a wide variety of accents, and no single "British accent" exists. This article provides an overview of the numerous identifiable variations in pronunciation. Such distinctions usually derive from the phonetic inventory of local dialects, as well as from broader differences in the Standard English of different primary-speaking populations.
The phonology of the open back vowels of the English language has undergone changes both overall and with regional variations, through Old and Middle English to the present. The sounds heard in modern English were significantly influenced by the Great Vowel Shift, as well as more recent developments in some dialects such as the cot–caught merger.
The phonology of Standard German is the standard pronunciation or accent of the German language. It deals with current phonology and phonetics as well as with historical developments thereof as well as the geographical variants and the influence of German dialects.
English phonology is the system of speech sounds used in spoken English. Like many other languages, English has wide variation in pronunciation, both historically and from dialect to dialect. In general, however, the regional dialects of English share a largely similar phonological system. Among other things, most dialects have vowel reduction in unstressed syllables and a complex set of phonological features that distinguish fortis and lenis consonants.
There are a variety of pronunciations in modern English and in historical forms of the language for words spelled with the letter ⟨a⟩. Most of these go back to the low vowel of earlier Middle English, which later developed both long and short forms. The sound of the long vowel was altered in the Great Vowel Shift, but later a new long A developed which was not subject to the shift. These processes have produced the main four pronunciations of ⟨a⟩ in present-day English: those found in the words trap, face, father and square. Separate developments have produced additional pronunciations in words like wash, talk and comma.
The phonological history of the English language includes various changes in the phonology of consonant clusters.
Most dialects of modern English have two close back vowels: the near-close near-back rounded vowel found in words like foot, and the close back rounded vowel found in words like goose. The STRUT vowel, which historically was back, is often central as well. This article discusses the history of these vowels in various dialects of English, focusing in particular on phonemic splits and mergers involving these sounds.
The phonology of the Persian language varies between regional dialects, standard varieties, and even from older variates of Persian. Persian is a pluricentric language and countries that have Persian as an official language have separate standard varieties, namely: Standard Dari (Afghanistan), Standard Iranian Persian and Standard Tajik (Tajikistan). The most significant differences between standard varieties of Persian are their vowel systems. Standard varieties of Persian have anywhere from 6 to 8 vowel distinctions, and similar vowels may be pronounced differently between standards. However, there are not many notable differences when comparing consonants, as all standard varieties a similar amount of consonant sounds. Though, colloquial varieties generally have more differences than their standard counterparts. Most dialects feature contrastive stress and syllable-final consonant clusters.
Australian English (AuE) is a non-rhotic variety of English spoken by most native-born Australians. Phonologically, it is one of the most regionally homogeneous language varieties in the world. Australian English is notable for vowel length contrasts which are absent from most English dialects.
In the history of English phonology, there have been many diachronic sound changes affecting vowels, especially involving phonemic splits and mergers.
This article describes those aspects of the phonological history of the English language which concern consonants.
The pronunciation of the digraph ⟨wh⟩ in English has changed over time, and still varies today between different regions and accents. It is now most commonly pronounced, the same as a plain initial ⟨w⟩, although some dialects, particularly those of Scotland, Ireland, and the Southern United States, retain the traditional pronunciation, generally realized as, a voiceless "w" sound. The process by which the historical has become in most modern varieties of English is called the wine–whine merger. It is also referred to as glide cluster reduction.
The phonology of Welsh is characterised by a number of sounds that do not occur in English and are rare in European languages, such as the voiceless alveolar lateral fricative and several voiceless sonorants, some of which result from consonant mutation. Stress usually falls on the penultimate syllable in polysyllabic words, while the word-final unstressed syllable receives a higher pitch than the stressed syllable.
One aspect of the differences between American and British English is that of specific word pronunciations, as described in American and British English pronunciation differences. However, there are also differences in some of the basic pronunciation patterns between the standard dialects of each country. The standard varieties for each are in fact generalizations: for the U.S., a loosely defined spectrum of unmarked varieties called General American and, for Britain, a collection of prestigious varieties most common in southeastern England, ranging from upper- to middle-class Received Pronunciation accents, which together here are abbreviated "RP". However, other regional accents in each country also show differences, for which see regional accents of English speakers.
This article aims to describe the phonology and phonetics of central Luxembourgish, which is regarded as the emerging standard.
The distinction between rhoticity and non-rhoticity is one of the most prominent ways in which varieties of the English language are classified. In rhotic accents, the sound of the historical English rhotic consonant,, is preserved in all pronunciation contexts. In non-rhotic accents, speakers no longer pronounce in postvocalic environments: when it is immediately after a vowel and not followed by another vowel. For example, in isolation, a rhotic English speaker pronounces the words hard and butter as /ˈhɑːrd/ and /ˈbʌtər/, but a non-rhotic speaker "drops" or "deletes" the sound and pronounces them as /ˈhɑːd/ and /ˈbʌtə/. When an r is at the end of a word but the next word begins with a vowel, as in the phrase "better apples," most non-rhotic speakers will preserve the in that position since it is followed by a vowel in this case.
The pronunciation of the phoneme in the English language has many variations in different dialects.
This article covers the phonological system of South African English (SAE) as spoken primarily by White South Africans. While there is some variation among speakers, SAE typically has a number of features in common with English as it is spoken in southern England, such as non-rhoticity and the TRAP–BATH split.