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IPA chart for English

This chart shows concisely the most common way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is applied to represent the English language.

See International Phonetic Alphabet for English for a more complete version and Pronunciation respelling for English for phonetic transcriptions used in different dictionaries.

RP = Received Pronunciation. GA = General American. AuE = Australian English. NZE = New Zealand English.

Note: An image of the chart is also available.
IPA: English Consonants
IPA Examples
p pen, spin, tip
b but, web
t two, sting, bet
d do, odd
chair, nature, teach
gin, joy, edge
k cat, kill, skin, queen, thick
ɡ go, get, beg
f fool, enough, leaf
v voice, have
θ thing, teeth
ð this, breathe, father
s see, city, pass
z zoo, rose
ʃ she, sure, emotion, leash
ʒ pleasure, beige
h ham
m man, ham
n no, tin
ŋ ringer, sing, drink
l left, bell
ɹ run, very[1]
w we
j yes
ʍ what[2]
IPA: English Vowels
IPA Examples
RP GA AuE NZE
ɑː ɑ ɐː father
ɪ ɪ ɪ ɘ sit
ɪ i i i city
i see
ɛ ɛ e e bed[3]
ɜː ɝ ɜː ɵː bird
æ æ æ ɛ lad, cat, ran[4][5]
ɑː ɑɹ ɐː arm
ʌ ʌ a ɐ run, enough
ɒ ɑ ɔ ɒ not, wasp
ɔː ɔ law, caught[6]
ʊ ʊ ʊ ʊ put, wood
u ʉː ʉː soon, through
ə ə ə ɘ about
ə ɚ ə ɘ winner[7]
IPA: English Diphthongs
IPA Examples
RP GA AuE NZE
æɪ æe day, pain
ɑe ɑe my, wise
ɔɪ ɔɪ oe boy
əʊ əʉ ɐʉ no, tow
æɔ æo now
ɪə ɪɹ ɪə near, here
ɛə ɛɹ hair, there[8]
ʊə ʊɹ ʊə ʉə tour
IPA: Marginal Sounds
IPA Examples
x Scottish loch
ʔ uh-(ʔ)oh
IPA: Other symbols used in transcription of English pronunciation
IPA Explanation
ˈ Primary stress (placed before the stressed syllable), for example rapping /ˈɹæpɪŋ/
ˌ Secondary stress, for example battleship /ˈbætl̩ˌʃɪp/
. Syllable separator, for example ice cream /aɪs.krim/ vs. I scream /aɪ.skrim/
 ̩ Syllabic consonant, for example ridden /ˈɹɪdn̩/

Notes

  1. ^ Although the symbol r technically represents an alveolar trill, which is absent from most dialects of English, it is nevertheless widely used instead of ɹ in phonemic transcriptions.
  2. ^ Some accents, such as Scottish and much of the American South; see whine and wine and voiceless labiovelar approximant
  3. ^ Often transcribed /e/ for RP, for example in Collins English Dictionary.
  4. ^ Often transcribed /a/ for RP, for example in dictionaries of the Oxford University Press.
  5. ^ See bad-lad split for more discussion of this vowel in Australian English.
  6. ^ See low back merger for more discussion of this vowel in American English.
  7. ^ Sometimes transcribed for GA as [əɹ], especially in transcriptions that represent both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations, as [ə(ɹ)].
  8. ^ Alternative symbols used in British dictionaries are /ɛː/ (Oxford University Press) and /eə/.

See also

References

  • Gimson, A. C. (1980). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English, 3rd edn., London: Edward Arnold. ISBN 0-7131-6287-2. 
  • Kenyon, John Samuel (1950). American Pronunciation, 10th edn., Ann Arbor: George Wahr. 
  • Kenyon, John S.; Thomas A. Knott (1944/1953). A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. ISBN 0-87779-047-7. 
  • Wells, J. C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 2nd edn., Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 0-582-36468-X. 

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