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English has 5 written vowels (a,e,i,o and u), but 20 vocalic sounds: 12 vowel sounds (/i:/,/ɪ/,/e/,/æ/,/ɑ:/,/ɒ/,/ɔ:/,/ʊ/,/u:/,/ʌ/,/ɜ:/,/ə/), 8 diphthongs (centring: /ɪə/, /eə/, /ʊə/; closing: /eɪ/, /aɪ/, /ɔɪ/; and /aʊ/, /əʊ/).

Some include the sounds of 6 triphthongs (/eɪə/, /aɪə/, /ɔɪə/ /aʊə/, /əʊə/), and about 26 consonantal sounds.

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The 15 vowel sounds taught under many guides include :

the long sounds for A, E, I, O, and OO

the short sounds for A, E, I, O, and OO

the schwa (short U when stressed)

the schwa R (short U followed by R when stressed)

the diphthongs AW/OR, OI/OY, and OU/OW

Arranged by groups, they are:

i: - see, heat (long E)

ɪ - hit, sitting (short I)

eɪ - say, eight (long A)

e - met, bed (short E)

æ - cat, black (short A)

ə - away, cinema (schwa)

ɜ: - turn, learn (long schwa-R)

ɒ - hot, rock (short O)

u: - blue, moon (long OO)

ʊ - book, could (short OO)

əʊ - go, home (diphthong O)

ɔ: - call, four (the OR/AW sound)

aɪ - five, eye (long I)

aʊ - now, out (ou/ow pair)

ɔɪ - boy, join (oi/oy pair)

19 vowel sounds

Omitted are the separate R sounds -ar (car), -ur (herd, bird), -air (care, pair), and the short U (uh) which is treated as a stressed schwa. These would bring the total to 19.

Another way to reach 19 sounds is to treat the AW as a diphthong and define the long U as a separate (yoo) sound, giving you 5 long, 5 short, 2 OO, and 4 diphthong sounds. Making a schwa brings the total to 20 and two schwas would bring this total to 21.

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