Sounds of English

Vowels

Vowels are always voiced (which means the vocal cords vibrate when the sound is made).

ˈvaʊəlz ər 'ɔːlwəz 'vɔɪst

Long "pure" vowels

/ɑ:/

• R, star, car, far
• father, bother, bottle
• clerk ^UK

/i:/

• B, C, D, E, G, P, T, V, Z^US
• sea, tea, seem, feet, key

/u:/

• Q, U, W
• choose, use,

/ɜː(r)/

• first, third, 30, 30^th
• shirt, clerk, certification, learn</li
• Some people sometimes pronounce words like sure & pure with this sound rather than /ʃʊr/, /pjʊr/, (myself included).

Short vowels

/ʌ/

• sun, but, mud
• son, won = 1, brother, other, another
• flood, blood
• -ous (famou<u>s, gelatin<u>ous, disastrous)

/ʊ/

• Look!, a good cookbook
• put, push, pull