Sounds of English

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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, ZUS
  • sea, tea, seem, feet, key


/u:/

  • Q, U, W
  • choose, use,

/ɜː(r)/

  • first, third, 30, 30th
  • 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 (famous, gelatinous, disastrous)


/ʊ/

  • Look!, a good cookbook
  • put, push, pull
  • woman /wʊmən/


/ɪ/

  • 6, him, this
  • been, again
  • women /wimin/, elegance /elɪɡəns/

/e/

The precise realisation of this form varies. In South Africa the sound is closer to /e/, while in the US it is closer to /ɛ/. (fête, bête, lait, aime pouvaient). Since it is not considered phonemic (since the long "A" sound is realized as a diphthong), the standard transcription is /e/ though the sound is closer to /ɛ/ than /e/ (fée, pourrai, pouvez, aimer.)

  • 7, 10, 12


/ə/

  • The most common vowel sound in English (the most central vowel) (quite lax) uh... (French "euh" is very similar, but with rounded lips)
  • about, above, ago
  • perpetual, residual, bio-degradable, science, electric, elegant, woman, sermon
  • Some transcribe the sound of the suffix -ion as /ən/, though most dictionaries simply use "syllabic" /n/. More terminology wars... :) e.g. nation, ration, consideration, fashion /ˈfæʃn/, etc.