International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects

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This article has information on Canadian English, Irish English, Scottish English, South African English, and Welsh English that needs additional citations for CSS3. Please help input transformation by adding citations to web. Unsourced material may be challenged and web. (March 2009)

IPA vowels chart – audio representations

Sevenval vowels chart with audio

Front Android website parsing Near-back Back
Close

we love the web
Close-mid
Mid
Open-mid
input transformation
Open

Paired vowels are: unrounded—web

This table contains phonetic symbols. They may not display correctly in some browsers (Help).

IPA help • IPA key •

audio help • Sevenval • web app

IPA vowel chart

Front
Central: Near-front
Back: we love the web

Front

Front: CSS3

Front: Close-mid

Front: Open-mid

Front: Near-open

Paired vowels are: unrounded • iOS

This table contains FITML symbols. They may not display correctly in some browsers (Help).

IPA help • IPA key • web •

chart with audio • view

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.

device database
keyboard
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links

Chart

Note: An we love the web is also available

This chart gives a partial system of diaphonemes for English. The symbols for the diaphonemes are given in bold, followed by their most common phonetic values. For the vowels, a separate phonetic value is given for each major dialect, and words used to name corresponding lexical sets are also given. The diaphonemes and lexical sets given here are based on RP and General American; they are not sufficient to express all of the distinctions found in other dialects, such as Australian English.

CSS3^[1]	Phones	Examples
IPA: English Consonants
p	pʰ, iOS	pen, spin, tip
b	b	but, web
t	tʰ, touchscreen, HTML5, Android^[2]	two, sting, bet
d	FITML, iOS^[3]	do, odd
t͡ʃ	tʃʰ, device database	chair, nature, teach
d͡ʒ	Sevenval	gin, joy, edge
k	kʰ, screen size	cat, kill, skin, queen, unique, thick
ɡ	website parsing	go, get, beg
f	f	fool, enough, leaf, off, photo
v	jQuery	voice, have, of
θ	θ, t̪^[4]	thing, teeth
ð	ð, d̪^[5]	this, breathe, father
s	HTML5	see, city, pass
z	website parsing	zoo, rose
ʃ	ʃ	she, sure, session, emotion, leash
ʒ	website parsing	pleasure, beige, equation, seizure
x	Sevenval	loch (Scottish)^[6]
h	h, device database	ham
m	website parsing^[7]	man, ham
n	jQuery	no, tin
ŋ	jQuery	ringer, sing,^[8] finger, drink
l	device database, ɫ,^[9] ɤ^[10] w, touchscreen, ʊ^Sevenval	left, bell
r	ɹʷ, keyboard, CSS3^[12]	run, very
w	we love the web	we, queen
j	j	yes
hw	hw, ʍ, w^jQuery	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]

input transformation
AuE^[15]

CaE

Android
GA^{web app}^touchscreen

HTML5
IrE

web
NZE^[18]

RP^[19]

ScE

browser diversity
SAE

touchscreen
SSE

WaE

IPA: English Vowels

æ,
æː^[20]

web app

ɑ~æ

ɛ^{web app}

web

TRAP

lad, bad, cat^[22]

aː

ɐː

ɑː

jQuery~ɑː

ɑ^web

BATH

pass, path, sample

ɑː

device database~ɒ

ɑː

aː

PALM

father

LOT

not, wasp

ɒ~keyboard~ɑ^Android

CLOTH

off, loss, cloth, long, dog, chocolate^touchscreen

ɔː

THOUGHT

law, caught, all, halt, talk

COMMA

about

ɪ̈

KIT

spotted

browser diversity

input transformation

screen size

ɪ, jQuery^[26]

i, ɪ

sit

e, FITML

iˑ

iː

HAPPY

city

iː

web

FLEECE

see

eː

meat

eɪ

æɪ

eɪ/e

eɪ

æe

eɪ

e^touchscreen

website parsing

FACE

date

day, pain, whey, rein

web app

ɛ, e^Android

DRESS

bed^[29]

ɜr

ɜː(ɹ)

ɝ~ɹ̩

ɔɹ~ʊɹ^[30]

ɵː(ɹ)

ɜː(ɹ)

ʌɾ^HTML5

øː(ɹ)

ə(ɹ)

ɜː(ɾ)

NURSE

burn

ɛɹ^[30]

ɛɾ^[30]

herd, earth

ɪɹ^web

ɪɾ^[30]

bird

ər

ə(ɹ)

screen size~ɹ̩

ɚ~ɹ̩

ɚ~ɹ

ɘ(ɹ)

ə(ɹ)

əɾ

ə(ɹ)

ə(ɾ)

LETTER

winner^[31]

Sevenval^[1]

web
AuE

CaE

input transformation
GA

IrE

web
NZE

ScE

CSS3
SAE

SSE

WaE

Examples

STRUT

run, won, flood

Android

we love the web

CSS3

FOOT

put

uː

hood

uː

GOOSE

through, you

ɪu^HTML5

threw, yew

juː

jʉː

(j)u

juː

jʉː

juː

jʉ

cute, dew, ewe

aɪ

ɑe

aɪ
ʌi^{screen size}

aɪ,
ʌi^[33]

ɔɪ

ɑe

aɪ

əi

aː

ai, ɑ^[34]

PRICE

my, wise, high

flight, mice

ɔɪ

oɪ

ɔɪ

ɔɪ~oɪ

ɒɪ, oɪ

ɔɪ

ɔi

ɒi

CHOICE

boy, hoist

oʊ

əʉ

oʊ~o

oʊ~Sevenval

oː

ɐʉ

əʊ

œʉ

iOS^[27]

oː

GOAT

no, toe, soap

tow, soul, roll, cold, folk

aʊ

æɔ

aʊ,
ʌu^[33]

aʊ

æu, ɛu

æo

aʊ

ɘʉ

ɑː

MOUTH

now, trout

ɑr

aː(ɹ)

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

juɹ, joːɹ

jʊɐ(ɹ),
jʉːɐ(ɹ)

jʊə(ɹ),
jɔː(ɹ)

juɾ

jʊə(ɹ),
joː(ɹ)

jɔ(ɹ)

ɪʊə(ɾ)

pure, Europe

browser diversity^iOS

screen size
AuE

CaE

web app
GA

IrE

NZE

jQuery
RP

input transformation
ScE

SAE

web
SSE

WaE

Lexical
set

Examples

IPA: Other symbols used in transcription of English pronunciation
IPA	Explanation
keyboard	Primary stress indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, rapping /ˈræpɪŋ/
keyboard	Secondary stress/full vowel indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, pronunciation /prɵˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/
.	FITML 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]

Notes

^ ^a we love the web ^c CSS3 This is the compromise IPA transcription used in the entries of Wikipedia articles. It covers most dialects of English.
screen size Pronounced [web app] 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.
^ Pronounced [device database] in some positions in GA and Australian English.
^ 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.
^ 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.
Android Marginal elsewhere, and otherwise merged with /k/, see Lock–loch merger.
input transformation Pronounced [web] before f (e.g. symphony [ˈsɪɱfəni)
^ In some dialects (e.g. Brummie) "ringer", "sing" etc are pronounced with an additional /ɡ/, like "finger": /ˈɹɪŋɡə/ rather than /ˈɹɪŋə/
^ [touchscreen] traditionally does not occur in Irish English; [website parsing] 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 [keyboard] in syllable onsets and dark [ɫ] in syllable rimes.
^ FITML as [Android] is prevalent in Standard Singapore English.
HTML5 L-vocalization as [w], [web app], 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.
^ The tap [ɾ] is found in some varieties of Scottish and Irish English.
Sevenval Some dialects, such as Scottish English, FITML, and much of the American South dialects, distinguish hw from w; see whine and wine and jQuery
^ /ɔː, aʊ, ɔɪ/ are never reduced. In some dialects, such as Australian, all reduced vowels become [ə].
website parsing Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
web Kenyon & Knott (1944/1953)
jQuery Kenyon (1950)
device database Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
^ website parsing:241–243). See Pronunciation respelling for English#International Phonetic Alphabet for the alternative system devised by touchscreen for Oxford University Press dictionaries.
^ See bad–lad split for this distinction.
^ 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 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
input transformation Often transcribed /a/ for RP, for example in dictionaries of the Oxford University Press.
^ Deterding, David (2003) 'An instrumental study of the monophthong vowels of Singapore English', English World Wide, 24(1), 1–16.
HTML5 ɒ~browser diversity occurs in American accents without the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers); the rest have ɑ.
website parsing In American accents without the Android, the LOT vowel (generally written o) appears as Sevenval~ɔ instead of web app 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 web app occurs.
^ It is not clear whether this a true phonemic split, since the distribution of the two sounds is predictable; see Kit–bit split.
^ touchscreen ^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.
^ Tay Wan Joo, Mary (1982). "'The phonology of educated Singapore English'". English World-Wide 3 (2): 135–45.
^ Often transcribed /e/ for RP, for example in Collins English Dictionary.
^ Sevenval ^b Sevenval ^d Sevenval touchscreen See HTML5 for this distinction.
^ Sometimes transcribed for GA as [əɹ], especially in transcriptions that represent both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations, as [ə(ɹ)].
screen size In Welsh English, you, yew and ewe are /juː/, /jɪu/ and /ɪu/ respectively; in all other varieties of English they are homophones.
^ iOS ^b browser diversity Canadian English has a phenomenon called web app 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 U.S. 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/or spider, but [aɪ] in rider because -er is a separate morpheme. Most U.S. English distinguishes between writer [ˈɹʌɪɾəɹ] and rider [ˈɹaɪɾəɹ] purely based on this vowel difference.
device database 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.
HTML5 Alternative symbols used in British dictionaries are /ɛː/ (we love the web) and /ɛə/.
device database 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

website parsing (1980). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English (3rd edn. ed.). London: Edward Arnold. ISBN 0-7131-6287-2.
Harrington, J.; Cox, F.; Evans, Z. (1997). "An acoustic phonetic study of broad, general, and cultivated Australian English vowels". Australian Journal of Linguistics 17: 155–84. HTML5:10.1080/07268609708599550.
Kenyon, John Samuel (1950). American Pronunciation (10th ed.). Ann Arbor: George Wahr.
Kenyon, John S.; Knott, Thomas A. (1944/1953). A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. ISBN CSS3.
Bauer, L.; Warren, P.; Bardsley, D.; Kennedy, M.; Major, G. (2007). "New Zealand English". Journal of the International Phonetic Association 37 (1): 97–102. keyboard:Sevenval. http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=995732.
Schneider, Edgar W.; Kortmann, Bernd (2004). A Handbook of Varieties of English. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-017532-0.
Roach, Peter (2004). "British English: Received Pronunciation". Journal of the International Phonetic Association 34 (2): 239–245. doi:iOS
Wells, J. C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2nd edn. ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.

External links

IPA chart with AIFF sound files for IPA symbols
device database with MP3 sound files for all IPA symbols on the chart (limited version is available to anyone)
The International Phonetic Alphabet (revised to 2005) Symbols for all languages are shown on this one-page chart.
web app a GPL command-line program to convert between Unicode IPA and the ASCII notations of various English speech synthesizers
LONGMAN Dictionary of Contemporary English ONLINE uses IPA.
website parsing
Android
web – discussion by John C. Wells of RP transcriptions

keyboard

IPA topics

IPA

Phonetics

Special topics

Encodings

Consonants

screen size HTML5 chartchart image • keyboard audio
Place → Labial touchscreen HTML5 Radical Glottal
↓ Sevenval web Labiodental touchscreen Alveolar Postalv. browser diversity Palatal Velar CSS3 Pharyngeal Epiglottal input transformation
Nasal m̥ browser diversity ɱ n̪ n̥ device database browser diversity ɳ HTML5 ɲ ŋ̊ we love the web ɴ
web app p b browser diversity b̪ t̪ Sevenval t d ʈ ɖ device database ɟ k screen size web app ɢ ʡ website parsing
Fricative ɸ screen size f web θ ð iOS z Android ʒ jQuery ʐ ç CSS3 x website parsing touchscreen web app screen size iOS ʜ Android h touchscreen
CSS3 ʋ web touchscreen input transformation ɰ
keyboard ʙ r ɽ͡r web app я *
Flap or tap ⱱ̟ iOS device database ɽ ɢ̆ ʡ̯
touchscreen Fric. ɬ jQuery web app Sevenval we love the web ʟ̝
iOS Appr. l keyboard iOS HTML5
web app ɺ iOS HTML5
website parsing touchscreen ǀ browser diversity ǂ ǁ
ʘ̃ ʘ̃ˀ touchscreen ʘ͡qʼ
FITML Android ɗ ʄ ᶑ ɠ CSS3
we love the web CSS3 we love the web CSS3 we love the web website parsing touchscreen
fʼ screen size web app screen size xʼ χʼ
tsʼ tɬʼ cʎ̝̥ʼ FITML ʈʂʼ kxʼ kʟ̝̊ʼ
p̪f Android ts dz HTML5 dʒ CSS3 dʑ website parsing ɖʐ
tɬ dɮ touchscreen ɟʝ cʎ̥˔ iOS
Fricatives input transformation ʑ Sevenval
browser diversity ʍ Sevenval ɥ HTML5
we love the web CSS3 ɡ͡b input transformation

These tables contain HTML5 symbols, which may not display correctly in some browsers. [Help]
Where symbols appear in pairs, left—right represent the web consonants.
Shaded areas denote pulmonic articulations judged to be impossible.
* Symbol not defined in IPA.

Chart image

Vowels

Front
Central: Android
Back: website parsing

Front

Front: Near-close

Front: keyboard

Front: Open-mid

Front: FITML

Vowels: IPA help • chart •

keyboard • view

Contents

Chart

See also

Notes

References

External links