IPA
From Leo's Notes
This page was last edited on 23 May 2020, at 22:20.
The IPA English help page on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English is a great resource on IPA pronunciation. he notes here is based off that but with notes targeted to how I speak.
Vowels
There are short and long vowels.
| Short | Front | Central | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | ɪ kit, mirror, edition | ʊ foot, cook | |
| Mid | e, ɛ dress merry | ə ago, sofa | ɒ lot, orange, neon |
| Open | æ trap, tattoo, ambition | ʌ curry, un-prefix | |
| Long | Front | Central | Back |
| bear | ɜː nurse furry | ||
| Open | ɑː father, bra, start |
Canadian/American English pronounces /ɔː/ and /ɒ/ the same. Eg. cot and caught.
Some vowels are combined, called diphthongs or triphthongs.
| eɪ | a | /beɪ/, bay. eɪər player |
| aɪ | i | /baɪ/, buy. pie. aɪər, hire, aɪ.ər, higher |
| ɔɪ | a-oy | /bɔɪ/, boy. ɔɪ.ər employer |
| əʊ | eau | /bəʊ/, beau |
| aʊ | ow | /baʊ/, bough, bow (verb). aʊər flour. |
| oʊ | oh | goat, mower |
Some subtleties between British and North American pronunciations are given in the table below. 'r's before vowels are hard?
| Word | British | North American |
|---|---|---|
| near | /ˈnɪər/ ne-ar | /'nʊər/ neer |
| cure | /ˈkjʊər/ cue-er | /'kjuːr/ queuer |
| square | /ˈskwɛər/ | /ˈskwiːr/ |
| caught | /'kɔːt/ | /'kɒt'/ |
Consonants
| IPA | Eample | |
|---|---|---|
| b | buy, cab | |
| d | dye, cad, ladder | |
| dj | dew | |
| dʒ | giant, badge, joy | |
| f | fan, leaf | |
| g | guy, bag | |
| h | high, ahead | |
| hw | whine | |
| j | yes, hallelujah | |
| k | sky, crack | |
| l | lie, sly, gal | |
| lj | lute | |
| m | my, smile, cam | |
| n | nigh, snide, can | |
| nj | new | |
| ŋ | sang, sink, singer | |
| p | pie, spy, cap | |
| r | rye, try, very | |
| s | sigh, mass | |
| sj | consume | |
| ʃ | shy, cash, emotion | |
| t | tie, sty, cat, latter | |
| tj | tune | |
| tʃ | china, catch | |
| ð | thy, breathe, father | |
| θ | thigh, math | |
| θj | enthuse | |
| v | vine, leave | |
| w | wine, swine | |
| z | zoo, has | |
| zj | Zeus | |
| ʒ | pleasure, beige |
Common Mistakes
| Word | IPA | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| mischievous | /'mɪs tʃə vəs/ | /'mɪs tʃe ve ʌs/ (mis-che-vi-ous) with an extra syllable. |
| triathlon | /'traɪ'æθ lɒn/ | /'traɪ'æθ a:lɒn/ (tri-ath-a-lon), with an extra syllable. |