International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects

IPA vowel chart
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•iy
•ɨʉ
•ɯu
•ɪʏ
•ʊ
•eø
•ɘɵ
•ɤo
•ɛœ
•ɜɞ
•ʌɔ
•æ
•aɶ
•ä
•ɑɒ
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This concise chart shows the most common applications of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to represent English language pronunciations.

See Pronunciation respelling for English for phonetic transcriptions used in different dictionaries.

Contents

Chart

Note: An image of the chart is also available

This chart lists the diaphonemes of English, in bold, followed by their most common phonetic values, in plain text. For the vowels, a separate phonetic value is given for each major dialect.

Dia-
phoneme[1]		 Phones Examples
IPA: English Consonants
p pʰ, p pen, spin, tip
b b but, web
t tʰ, t, ɾ, ʔ[2] two, sting, bet
d d, ɾ[3] do, odd
t͡ʃ tʃʰ,   t͡ʃ chair, nature, teach
d͡ʒ  d͡ʒ gin, joy, edge
k kʰ, k cat, kill, skin, queen, unique, thick
ɡ ɡ go, get, beg
f f fool, enough, leaf, off, photo
v v voice, have, of
θ θ, t̪[4] thing, teeth
ð ð, d̪[5] this, breathe, father
s s see, city, pass
z z zoo, rose
ʃ ʃ she, sure, session, emotion, leash
ʒ ʒ pleasure, beige, equation, seizure
x x loch (Scottish)[6]
h h, ɦ ham
m m[7] man, ham
n n no, tin
ŋ ŋ ringer, sing,[8] finger, drink
l l, ɫ,[9] ɤ[10] w, o, ʊ[11] left, bell
r ɹʷ, ɹ, ɾ[12] run, very
w w we, queen
j j yes
hw hw, ʍ, w[13] what
 
IPA: Marginal Sounds
ʔ ʔ uh-(ʔ)oh
 
IPA: Reduced vowels[14]
ə Reduced /ʌ, æ, ɑː, ɒ/
ɪ̈ (ə) Reduced /ɪ, iː, ɛ, eɪ, aɪ/
ʊ̈ (ə) Reduced /ʊ, uː/
ɵ (ə) Reduced /oʊ/
ɚ (ə) Reduced /ɝː/
IPA Lexical
set		 Examples
Dia-
phoneme[1]
AuE[15]
CaE
GA[16][17]
IrE
NZE[18]
RP[19]
ScE
SAE
SSE
WaE
IPA: English Vowels
æ æ,
æː[20]		 æ æ ɑ~æ ɛ æ a æ ɛ[21] a TRAP lad, bad, cat[22]
aː ɐː ɑː ɒː~ɑː ɑ[23] BATH pass, path, sample
ɑː ɑ~ɒ ɑ ɑː ɑː aː PALM father
ɒ ɔ ɑ ɒ ɒ ɔ ɔ ɔ ɒ LOT not, wasp
ɒ~ɔ~ɑ[24] CLOTH off, loss, cloth, long, dog, chocolate[25]
ɔː oː ɔː oː ɔː oː ɒː THOUGHT law, caught, all, halt, talk
ə ə ə ə ə ɘ ə ə ə ə ə COMMA about
ɨ ɪ̈ ɪ̈ ɪ ɨ ɨ KIT spotted
ɪ ɪ ɪ ɪ ɪ ɪ ɪ ɪ, ə[26] i, ɪ ɪ sit
i i i i i i e, i iˑ i iː HAPPY city
iː iː iː iː iː iː iː FLEECE see
eː meat
eɪ æɪ eɪ/e eɪ æe eɪ e eɪ e[27] eː FACE date
ei day, pain, whey, rein
ɛ e ɛ ɛ ɛ e ɛ ɛ e ɛ, e[28] ɛ DRESS bed[29]
ɜr ɜː(ɹ) ɝ~ɹ̩ ɝ~ɹ̩ ɔɹ~ʊɹ[30] ɵː(ɹ) ɜː(ɹ) ʌɾ[30] øː(ɹ) ə(ɹ) ɜː(ɾ) NURSE burn
ɛɹ[30] ɛɾ[30] herd, earth
ɪɹ[30] ɪɾ[30] bird
ər ə(ɹ) ɚ~ɹ̩ ɚ~ɹ̩ ɚ~ɹ ɘ(ɹ) ə(ɹ) əɾ ə(ɹ) ə(ɾ) LETTER winner[31]
Dia-
phoneme[1]
AuE
CaE
GA
IrE
NZE
RP
ScE
SAE
SSE
WaE		 Lexical
set		 Examples
ʌ a ʌ ʌ ɔ, ʊ ɐ ɐ ʌ ɐ ɑ, ʌ ɜ STRUT run, won, flood
ʊ ʊ ʊ ʊ ʊ ʊ ʉ ʊ u ʊ FOOT put
uː hood
uː ʉː u u ʉː uː ʉː uː GOOSE through, you
ɪu[32] threw, yew
juː jʉː (j)u (j)u juː jʉː juː jʉ ju cute, dew, ewe
aɪ ɑe aɪ
ʌi[33]		 aɪ,
ʌi[33]		 ɔɪ ɑe aɪ əi aː ai, ɑ[34] ai PRICE my, wise, high

flight, mice
ɔɪ oɪ ɔɪ ɔɪ~oɪ ɒɪ, oɪ oe ɔɪ oi ɔɪ ɔi ɒi CHOICE boy, hoist
oʊ əʉ oʊ~o oʊ~o oː ɐʉ əʊ o œʉ o[27] oː GOAT no, toe, soap
ou tow, soul, roll, cold, folk
aʊ æɔ aʊ,
ʌu[33]		 aʊ æu, ɛu æo aʊ ɘʉ ɑː au au MOUTH now, trout
ɑr aː(ɹ) ɑɹ ɑɹ aːɹ ɐː(ɹ) ɑː(ɹ) aɾ ɑ(ɹ) aː(ɾ) START arm, car
ɪər ɪə(ɹ) ɪɹ i(ə)ɹ iːɹ iə(ɹ)~ɪə(ɹ) ɪə(ɹ) iɾ ɪə(ɹ) jə(ɹ) ɪə(ɾ) NEAR deer, here
ɛər eː(ɹ) ɛɹ ɛɹ~eɹ eːɹ iə(ɹ)~eə(ɹ) eə(ɹ)[35] eɾ ɛː(ɹ) ɛ(ɹ) ɛː(ɾ) SQUARE mare, there, bear
ɔr oː(ɹ) ɔɹ ɔɹ~oɹ ɑɹ oː(ɹ) ɔː(ɹ) ɔɾ oː(ɹ) ɔ(ɹ) ɒː(ɾ) NORTH sort, warm
ɔər oːɹ oɾ oː(ɾ) FORCE tore, boar, port
ʊər ʊə(ɹ),
ʉːə(ɹ)		 ʊɹ ʊɹ, ɔɹ~oɹ uːɹ, oːɹ ʊɐ(ɹ),
ʉːɐ(ɹ)		 ʊə(ɹ)[36] uɾ ʊə(ɹ) wə(ɹ) ʊə(ɾ) CURE tour, moor
jʊər jʊə(ɹ),
jʉːə(ɹ)		 jʊɹ, jɝ jʊɹ, jɝ juɹ, joːɹ jʊɐ(ɹ),
jʉːɐ(ɹ)		 jʊə(ɹ),
jɔː(ɹ)		 juɾ jʊə(ɹ),
joː(ɹ)		 jɔ(ɹ) ɪʊə(ɾ) pure, Europe
Dia-
phoneme[1]
AuE
CaE
GA
IrE
NZE
RP
ScE
SAE
SSE
WaE		 Lexical
set		 Examples
IPA: Other symbols used in transcription of English pronunciation
IPA Explanation
ˈ Primary stress indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, rapping /ˈræpɪŋ/
ˌ Secondary stress/full vowel indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, pronunciation /prɵˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/
. Syllable separation indicator; for example, ice cream /ˈaɪs.kriːm/ vs. I scream /ˌaɪ.ˈskriːm/
 ̩ Syllabic consonant indicator (placed under the syllabic consonant); for example, ridden [ˈɹɪdn̩]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d This is the compromise IPA transcription used in the entries of Wikipedia articles. It covers most dialects of English.
  2. ^ Pronounced [ɾ] in some positions in GA and Australian English, and is possible in RP in words like butter, [ʔ] in some positions in English English, American English and Australian English, and [t̞] non-initially in Irish English.
  3. ^ Pronounced [ɾ] in some positions in GA and Australian English.
  4. ^ Pronounced [t̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, and New York English, merges with /f/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /t/ in some varieties of Caribbean English.
  5. ^ Pronounced [d̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, and New York English, merges with /v/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /d/ in some varieties of Caribbean English.
  6. ^ Marginal elsewhere, and otherwise merged with /k/, see Lock–loch merger.
  7. ^ Pronounced [ɱ] before f (e.g. symphony [ˈsɪɱfəni)
  8. ^ In some dialects (e.g. Brummie) "ringer", "sing" etc are pronounced with an additional /ɡ/, like "finger": /ˈɹɪŋɡə/ rather than /ˈɹɪŋə/
  9. ^ [ɫ] traditionally does not occur in Irish English, though this is changing; [l] does not occur in Australian, New Zealand, Scottish, or American English. RP and some other English accents, along with South African English, however, have clear [l] in syllable onsets and dark [ɫ] in syllable rimes.
  10. ^ L vocalization as [ɤ] is prevalent in Standard Singapore English.
  11. ^ L vocalization as [w], [o], and [ʊ] occurs in New Zealand English and many regional accents not included in the chart. Notably Cockney, New York English, Estuary English, Pittsburgh English, and African-American Vernacular English.
  12. ^ The tap [ɾ] is found in some varieties of Scottish and Irish English.
  13. ^ Some dialects, such as Scottish English, Irish English, and much of the American South dialects, distinguish hw from w; see whine and wine and voiceless labiovelar approximant
  14. ^ /ɔː, aʊ, ɔɪ/ are never reduced. In some dialects, such as Australian, all reduced vowels become [ə].
  15. ^ Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
  16. ^ Kenyon & Knott (1944/1953)
  17. ^ Kenyon (1950)
  18. ^ Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
  19. ^ Roach (2004:241–243). See Pronunciation respelling for English#International Phonetic Alphabet for the alternative system devised by Clive Upton for Oxford University Press dictionaries.
  20. ^ See bad–lad split for this distinction.
  21. ^ Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 9810425988, pp. 84–92.
  22. ^ Often transcribed /a/ for RP, for example in dictionaries of the Oxford University Press.
  23. ^ Deterding, David (2003) 'An instrumental study of the monophthong vowels of Singapore English', English World Wide, 24(1), 1–16.
  24. ^ ɒ~ɔ occurs in American accents without the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers); the rest have ɑ.
  25. ^ In American accents without the cot–caught merger, the lot vowel (generally written o) appears as ɒ~ɔ instead of ɑ before the fricatives /f/, /θ/ and /s/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/; also usually before /ɡ/, especially in single-syllable words (dog, log, frog, etc.), and occasionally before /k/ (as in chocolate). See lot–cloth split. In American accents with the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers), only ɑ occurs.
  26. ^ It is not clear whether this a true phonemic split, since the distribution of the two sounds is predictable; see Kit–bit split.
  27. ^ a b Deterding, David (2000) 'Measurements of the /eɪ/ and /oʊ/ vowels of young English speakers in Singapore'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.), The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics, pp. 93–99.
  28. ^ Tay Wan Joo, Mary (1982). "'The phonology of educated Singapore English'". English World-Wide 3 (2): 135–45. 
  29. ^ Often transcribed /e/ for RP, for example in Collins English Dictionary.
  30. ^ a b c d e f See Fern–fir–fur merger for this distinction.
  31. ^ Sometimes transcribed for GA as [əɹ], especially in transcriptions that represent both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations, as [ə(ɹ)].
  32. ^ In Welsh English, you, yew and ewe are /juː/, /jɪu/ and /ɪu/ respectively; in all other varieties of English they are homophones.
  33. ^ a b c Canadian English has a phenomenon called Canadian raising in which raised diphthongs [ʌi] and [ʌu] are found before voiceless consonants, as in right [ɹʷʌit] and out [ʌut]; in other environments, [aɪ] and [aʊ] are used. In much of US English, this happens with [ʌɪ], primarily when a voiceless consonant phoneme follows /aɪ/. For example, dike, life, and sight end with voiceless /k/, /f/, and /t/, so the diphthongs differ from those in wives and side, which have voiced /v/ and /d/. For some speakers, [ʌɪ] also occurs before voiced consonants when another syllable follows, but only when no morpheme break occurs; hence [ʌɪ] in tiger and spider, but [aɪ] in rider because -er is a separate morpheme.
  34. ^ Lee, Ee May and Lim, Lisa (2000) ' Diphthongs in Singaporean English: their realisations across different formality levels, and some attitudes of listeners towards them. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.), The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics, pp. 100–111.
  35. ^ Alternative symbols used in British dictionaries are /ɛː/ (Oxford University Press) and /ɛə/.
  36. ^ Roach (2004) notes that many people in England use [ɔː] for this vowel, but also that RP traditionally distinguishes between maw /mɔː/ and moor /mʊə/, tore /tɔː/ and tour /tʊə/, as well as paw /pɔː/ and poor /pʊə/.

References

External links