Sounds and IPAA0–A1
The sounds of English, how to read them in IPA, and word stress. IPA gives every sound one symbol between slashes, so it shows how a word sounds whatever its spelling: ship /ʃɪp/, sheep /ʃiːp/.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
No information at the current level. This view starts at A0: choose A0 or a higher level.
CheatsheetA0–A1
| Point | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| IPA | one symbol for each sound, written between slashes | book /bʊk/ |
| Spelling and sound | spelling and sound often differ: photo has no /p/ and no /h/ | photo /ˈfəʊtəʊ/ |
| ː / ˈ | ː makes a vowel long; ˈ comes before the stressed syllable | food /fuːd/ · teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/ |
| Consonant symbols | some symbols differ from the spelling: ch → /tʃ/, j → /dʒ/, y → /j/ | chair / job / yes |
| A1Stress in two syllables | most nouns and adjectives: first syllable; many verbs: second | ˈteacher / beˈgin |
| A1-tion / -sion / -ic | stress the syllable before the ending | inforˈmation / fanˈtastic |
| A1Weak vowel | unstressed vowels are often the weak /ə/ | about /əˈbaʊt/ |
| A1US | /ɒ/ becomes /ɑː/, /əʊ/ becomes /oʊ/, and /r/ is pronounced after vowels | hot /hɑːt/ · car /kɑːr/ |
| A1Trap | short /ɪ/ and long /iː/ make different words | ship /ʃɪp/ · sheep /ʃiːp/ |
| A1Trap | th is /θ/ or /ð/ | think /θɪŋk/ · this /ðɪs/ |
How IPA worksA0
- IPA writes sounds, one symbol for each sound. Dictionaries put it between slashes: book /bʊk/.
- Spelling and sound often differ: photo /ˈfəʊtəʊ/ has no /p/ and no /h/.
- ː makes a vowel long: /uː/ in food.
- ˈ comes before the stressed syllable: teacher /ˈtiːtʃə/.
Consonant soundsA0–A1
| Sound | Spelling | Example |
|---|---|---|
| /p/ | p | pen |
| /b/ | b | bed |
| /t/ | t | ten |
| /d/ | d | dog |
| /k/ | c / k / ck | cat / back |
| A1/g/ | g | go |
| /f/ | f / ph | fish / phone |
| /v/ | v | van |
| A1/θ/ | th | think |
| A1/ð/ | th | this |
| /s/ | s / c | sun / city |
| /z/ | z / s | zoo / is |
| A1/ʃ/ | sh | shop |
| A1/ʒ/ | s | television |
| A1/h/ | h | hat |
| /tʃ/ | ch | chair |
| /dʒ/ | j / g | job / age |
| /m/ | m | man |
| /n/ | n | no |
| A1/ŋ/ | ng | sing |
| /l/ | l | leg |
| A1/r/ | r | red |
| /w/ | w | water |
| /j/ | y | yes |
Vowel soundsA0–A1
| Sound | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| A1/ɪ/ | short | ship |
| /iː/ | long | sheep |
| /e/ | short | bed |
| /æ/ | short | cat |
| /ʌ/ | short | cup |
| /ɑː/ | long | car |
| A1/ɒ/ | short | hot |
| A1/ɔː/ | long | door |
| A1/ʊ/ | short | book |
| /uː/ | long | food |
| A1/ɜː/ | long | bird |
| /ə/ | short, weak | about |
| /eɪ/ | diphthong | day |
| /aɪ/ | diphthong | my |
| A1/ɔɪ/ | diphthong | boy |
| /əʊ/ | diphthong | go |
| A1/aʊ/ | diphthong | now |
| A1/ɪə/ | diphthong | here |
| A1/eə/ | diphthong | hair |
| A1/ʊə/ | diphthong | tour |
A1
- US: /ɒ/ becomes /ɑː/ (hot /hɑːt/), /əʊ/ becomes /oʊ/, and /r/ is pronounced after vowels (car /kɑːr/).
Word stressA1
In a word of two or more syllables, one syllable is stronger and longer.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Most two-syllable nouns and adjectives: first syllable | ˈteacher / ˈhappy |
| Many two-syllable verbs: second syllable | beˈgin / deˈcide |
| Words ending in -tion, -sion, -ic: the syllable before the ending | inforˈmation / fanˈtastic |
- Unstressed vowels are often the weak /ə/: banana /bəˈnɑːnə/, about /əˈbaʊt/.
Typical errorsA1
| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| ship /ʃiːp/ | ship /ʃɪp/ · sheep /ʃiːp/ | short /ɪ/ ≠ long /iː/ |
| think /sɪŋk/ · this /dɪs/ | think /θɪŋk/ · this /ðɪs/ | th = /θ/ or /ð/ |
| comˈfortable | ˈcomfortable /ˈkʌmftəbl/ | stress on the first syllable |