Phonetics

International phonetical alphabet

English

Consonants

II.P.A.

Also a common sound, denoted by “d” in most languages, including English. It doesn’t become “t” when it is at the end of a word

This sound is the “v” sound of most languages. It is important to pronounce it as [v] and not as [f] also at the end of a word; “leave” and “leaf” are not pronounced the same.

The very same rules about aspiration that hold for “k” and “p” hold also for “t”, i.e. it is always aspirated when it is at the beginning of a stressed syllable

Again, a sound that usually causes little trouble. It is usually represented by “f” or “ph”, and also often by “gh” at the end of a word

This sound exists in most languages and is also usually denoted by the letter “b”. One thing to pay attention to is that it doesn’t become “p” when it is at the end of a word

The sound similar to “k” but voiced, i.e. with an almost uninterrupted stream of sound coming out of your vocal chords. It is represented by the letter “g”, but “g” can by pronounced also many different ways in different contexts. Pay attention to “g” at the end of a word; it is not pronounced as “k”.

The very same same rules (in terms of aspirations) that hold for “k” hold also for “p”. It is always aspirated when it is at the beginning of a stressed syllable and in many dialects also almost everywhere else, except after “s”

There are many possible ways how [k] can be written: k, c, ch, ck and others. “Ch” and “c” can be pronounced also differently and there is no reliable rule to decide when it is pronounced as [k].

A common source of problems for English learners. It is pronounced as if you wanted to say “d”, but you only slightly touched the back of your teeth by your tongue instead.

This sound usually causes few pronunciation problems, but the way it’s written can be confusing. The letter “z” usually represents [z], but “x-” at the beginning of a word is also usually pronounced [z], and “s” at the end of a word is also often pronounced [z] if it is preceded by a vowel, but not always.

Again, most people have no problem with the sound, but the way it’s written may be a source of confusion. It is usually represented by “s”, “c”, “sc”, “ss”, but all of these can be pronounced also differently

This sound is created by saying [s] but bending your tongue further to the upper palate. It is usually represented by “sh”, but sometimes also by “ch".

dʒ

This sound is a softer version of [z]. It is usually represented by “s” in “-sion”, “-sure”, or by “g” in “-ge”. As far as we know, there is only one English word which starts with this sound: genre.

A sound approximately like [d] and [ʒ] pronounced together. It is usually represented by “j” (which is always pronounced as [dʒ]) or by “g” which is sometimes pronounced as [dʒ].

tʃ

This sound sounds approximately like [t] and [ʃ] together. It is usually represented by “ch” or “tch” in writing, but “ch” is also often pronounced [k] and sometimes [ʃ].

The sound is represented by the letter “h” in writing, but pay attention to all the possible letter groups in which the letter “h” participates, e.g. “ch”, “sh”, “th”, “gh” etc. It is never located at the very end of a word or a syllable (there’s always at least one vowel after it).

The correct IPA symbol of the typical English “r” is [ɹ], unless you mean the rolled Scottish [r]. However, the vast majority of English dictionaries denote the sound by [r].

This sound is present in almost every language in the world and shouldn’t pose any problem. It is always represented by the letter “m”.

In the IPA it represents what is usually written as “y” in English at the beginning of a syllable. It can also appear after another consonant when written as “u”, pronounced [jʊ], or “ew”, pronounced [juː].

Again, no problem here. Speakers of languages in which [n] can be softened to [ɲ] should pay attention to the pronunciation of words like “new”

This sound must be distinguished from [v]; “wary” and “vary” don’t sound the same. It never occurs at the end of a word, but may appear in the middle. It is usually represented by the letter “w”.

This sound is produced as if you wanted to say “n” but with the back of your tongue (the part with which you say [g]). It’s never at the beginning of a word but can be in the middle of a word derived from a verb by adding “-er” or “-ing” (singer, longing). In other cases when “ng” appears in the middle of a word, it is pronounced [ŋg], as in longer.

The sound [ɫ] is called “the dark l”. Some dictionaries use [l] to denote pronunciation of the letter “l” that precedes a vowel and [ɫ] otherwise.

And it sounds like this...

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