IPA chart for English

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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.

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 singer, ring
l left, bell
ɹ run, very[1]
w we
j yes
ʍ what[2]
IPA: English Vowels
IPA Examples
RP GA AuE
ɑː ɑ father
ɪ ɪ ɪ sit
ɪ i i city
i see
ɛ ɛ e bed[3]
ɜː ɝ ɜː bird
æ æ æ lad, cat, ran[4][5]
ɑː ɑɹ arm
ʌ ʌ a run, enough
ɒ ɑ ɔ not, wasp
ɔː ɔ law, caught[6]
ʊ ʊ ʊ put, wood
u ʉː soon, through
ə ə ə about
ə ɚ ə winner
 
IPA: English Diphthongs
IPA Examples
RP GA AuE
æɪ day, pain
ɑe my, wise
ɔɪ ɔɪ boy
əʊ əʉ no, tow
æɔ now
ɪə ɪɹ ɪə near, here
ɛə ɛɹ hair, there[7]
ʊə ʊɹ ʊə tour
juː ju jʉː pupil
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 plankton /ˈplæŋk.tən/
 ̩ Syllabic consonant, for example ridden /ˈɹɪdn̩/


See also

External links

  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. Alternative symbols used in British dictionaries are /ɛː/ (Oxford University Press) and /eə/.