The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association as a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language. The IPA provides a set of symbols to represent the speech sounds, or phonemes, of most languages in the world.
The main purpose of IPA is to accurately and consistently depict the sounds of spoken language, irrespective of the orthography (spelling) of a particular language. Each symbol in the IPA corresponds to a specific sound or group of sounds, allowing linguists, language learners, and phoneticians to describe and analyze the pronunciation of words across different languages.
The IPA covers a wide range of sounds, including vowels, consonants, and various suprasegmental features such as stress and intonation. It provides a comprehensive and standardised way to transcribe spoken language, making it a valuable tool for linguistic research, language teaching, and communication across language barriers.
IPA Pronunciation Chart – Tap to Play Sounds
Click on any phoneme to hear its pronunciation.
/iː/
/ɪ/
/u/
/u:/
/e/
/e/
/ir/
/c:/
/a/
/up/
/aa/
/o/
/ie/
/ei/
/ue/
/oi/
/eu/
/eə/
/ai/
/au/
/p/
/b/
/t/
/d/
/ch/
/dg/
/k/
/g/
/f/
/v/
/th/
/the/
/s/
/z/
/sh/
/sha/
/m/
/n/
/ng/
/j/
/l/
/r/
/w/
/h/
Printable IPA Chart – Ready to Download & practice!
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Let’s break down the basics of vowels, consonants, and diphthongs in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA):
Vowels:
- Monophthongs:
- i: Represents a high front unrounded vowel (e.g., “see”).
- e: Represents a mid front unrounded vowel (e.g., “met”).
- ɛ: Represents an open-mid front unrounded vowel (e.g., “bet”).
- a: Represents a low front unrounded vowel (e.g., “cat”).
- ɑ: Represents a low back unrounded vowel (e.g., “car”).
- o: Represents a mid back rounded vowel (e.g., “go”).
- ɔ: Represents an open-mid back rounded vowel (e.g., “thought”).
- u: Represents a high back rounded vowel (e.g., “blue”).
- ʊ: Represents a near-close near-back rounded vowel (e.g., “put”).
- ə: Represents a mid-central vowel (schwa) often found in unstressed syllables (e.g., “sofa”).
Diphthongs in British English (IPA)
Diphthongs are vowel sounds that glide from one position to another within the same syllable. Unlike monophthongs, which have a single, steady sound, diphthongs involve a smooth transition between two vowel sounds.
List of English Diphthongs & Their Transitions
1️⃣ /eɪ/ – face, name, rain
🔹 Transition: Mid front unrounded vowel → Near-close near-front unrounded vowel
🔹 Example Words: day, say, play
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Starts as /e/ (like in bet) and moves towards /ɪ/ (like in bit).
2️⃣ /aɪ/ – time, eye, fly
🔹 Transition: Open front unrounded vowel → Near-close near-front unrounded vowel
🔹 Example Words: high, light, ride
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Begins with /a/ (like in cat) and glides towards /ɪ/ (like in bit).
3️⃣ /ɔɪ/ – boy, toy, coin
🔹 Transition: Open-mid back rounded vowel → Near-close near-front rounded vowel
🔹 Example Words: voice, choice, enjoy
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Starts as /ɔ/ (like in thought) and moves towards /ɪ/ (like in bit).
4️⃣ /aʊ/ – house, now, cow
🔹 Transition: Open front unrounded vowel → Near-close near-back rounded vowel
🔹 Example Words: out, about, cloud
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Begins with /a/ (like in cat) and glides towards /ʊ/ (like in book).
5️⃣ /əʊ/ (UK) or /oʊ/ (US) – go, home, no
🔹 Transition: Mid central vowel → Near-close near-back rounded vowel
🔹 Example Words: so, though, open
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Starts as /ə/ (schwa, like in sofa) and moves towards /ʊ/ (like in book).
6️⃣ /ɪə/ – here, idea, fierce
🔹 Transition: Near-close near-front unrounded vowel → Mid central vowel
🔹 Example Words: clear, fear, theatre
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Begins as /ɪ/ (like in bit) and glides towards /ə/ (like in sofa).
7️⃣ /eə/ – air, care, fair
🔹 Transition: Mid front unrounded vowel → Mid central vowel
🔹 Example Words: bear, stare, hair
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Starts as /e/ (like in bet) and glides towards /ə/ (like in sofa).
8️⃣ /ʊə/ – pure, tour, cure (less common in modern accents)
🔹 Transition: Near-close near-back rounded vowel → Mid central vowel
🔹 Example Words: sure, jury, secure
🔹 Phonetic Breakdown: Begins as /ʊ/ (like in book) and moves towards /ə/ (like in sofa).
Key Facts About Diphthongs:
📌 Single Phoneme: Even though they contain two vowel sounds, diphthongs function as one phoneme in speech.
📌 Gliding Sound: The tongue moves smoothly from the first vowel position to the second within the same syllable.
📌 British vs. American Differences: Some diphthongs, like /əʊ/ (UK) and /oʊ/ (US), vary between accents.
💡 Want to hear these sounds? 🎧 Tap each phoneme on our Interactive IPA Chart to listen and perfect your pronunciation! 🚀
Consonants:
Place of Articulation:
- Bilabials:
- p: Voiceless bilabial plosive (e.g., “pat”).
- b: Voiced bilabial plosive (e.g., “bat”).
- m: Voiced bilabial nasal (e.g., “mat”).
- Labiodentals:
- f: Voiceless labiodental fricative (e.g., “fit”).
- v: Voiced labiodental fricative (e.g., “vat”).
- Interdentals:
- θ: Voiceless interdental fricative (e.g., “think”).
- ð: Voiced interdental fricative (e.g., “this”).
- Alveolars:
- t: Voiceless alveolar plosive (e.g., “top”).
- d: Voiced alveolar plosive (e.g., “dog”).
- n: Voiced alveolar nasal (e.g., “net”).
- Post-Alveolar:
- ʃ: Voiceless postalveolar fricative (e.g., “she”).
- ʒ: Voiced postalveolar fricative (e.g., “measure”).
- tʃ: Voiceless postalveolar affricate (e.g., “chop”).
- dʒ: Voiced postalveolar affricate (e.g., “judge”).
- Retroflex:
- ɹ: Voiced retroflex approximant (e.g., “red”).
- Palatals:
- j: Voiced palatal approximant (e.g., “yes”).
- ʎ: Voiced palatal lateral approximant (e.g., found in some dialects).
- Velar:
- k: Voiceless velar plosive (e.g., “cat”).
- g: Voiced velar plosive (e.g., “go”).
- ŋ: Voiced velar nasal (e.g., “sing”).
- Glottals:
- h: Voiceless glottal fricative (e.g., “hat”).
Understanding these symbols will enable you to transcribe and understand the sounds of various languages using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Feel free to refer to this comprehensive guide for accurate pronunciation representation.
🗣️ Think you’re saying it right? Watch this video and check your pronunciation! 🎥🔊
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