Vowels

[i:] as in SEE

be – tea – read – feel – keep – compete;

[i] as in HIT

pick – big – give – miss – English – city;

[e] as in RED

get – beg – well – head – left – test;

[æ] as in CAT

bad – pack – tag – land – happy – match;

[a:] as in CAR

far – hard – sharp – large – calm – father;

[o:] as in MORE

form – short – law – pause – call – war;

[o] as in NOT

hot – lock – rob – stop – possible – dollar;

[u:] as in RULE

true – flew – move – food – choose – group;

[yu:] as in USE

unit – huge – cute – music – few – beautiful;

[u] as in BOOK

look – good – put – full – sugar – could;

[ər] as in SIR

first – bird – hurt – search – work – better;

[ə] as in BUT

fun – luck – son – away – useful – famous;

[ei] as in RAY

may – take – name – save – wait – pain;

[ai] as in RIDE

my – life – find – time – advise – deny;

[au] as in HOW

now – down – shout – proud – mouth – count;

[oi] as in BOY

toy – noise – point – boil – avoid – employ;

[ou] as in NO

show – home – road – told – open – hero;

Before final R:

dear – fear – near – beer – here;

hair – fair – pair – care – bear;

poor – tour – sure – cure;

fire – hire – desire – require;

hour – sour – flower – power.

Dipthongs

eɪ tray, eight, make, sail, say, great, ace

aɪ sky, I, bye, buy, by, guide, flight, rye, die, choir ['kwair]

ɔɪ joy, coin, oyster

ɪə (-r amer.) fear, beer, here

eə (-r amer.) hair, care, there, hare

ʊə (-r amer.) tour, poor

aʊ trousers, cow, hour, our

əʊ joke, coat, own, go, though, sew, toe

Englisg Vowels (Monophthongs and diphthongs) Contrasting monophthongs (simple

vowels)

Monophthongs

[i:], [i], [e], [æ], [a:], [o:], [o], [u:], [yu:], [u], [ər], [ə]

bean – bin – Ben – ban – bar – born – bond – boom – beauty – book – burn – bun;

peat – pit – pet – pat – part – port – pot – pool – pew – put – purr – pus;

Contrasting monophthongs in pairs

[i:] – [i]

lead – lid, read – rid, feel – fill, deal – dill, heel – hill, team – Tim, keen – kin, seen – sin,
teen – tin, leave – live

peak – pick, seek – sick; sheep – ship, heap – hip, leap – lip, beat – bit, feet – fit, seat – sit

[i:] – [i]: eat fish, be sick, feel ill, see him, meet Bill, deal with, read this, beat it

[i] – [i:]: kiss me, lip cream, till three

[i] – [e]

bill – bell, fill – fell, till – tell, him – hem, pin – pen, tin – ten, win – when, bid – bed, did –
dead, Liz – Les, since – sense

pit – pet, sit – set, Nick – neck, pick – peck, miss – mess, wrist – rest, lift – left

[i] – [e]: Big Ben, six guests, live well, since ten
[e] – [i]: tell Tim, test him

[e] – [æ]

bed – bad, said – sad, beg – bag, leg – lag, hell – Hal, hem – ham;

Ben – ban, pen – pan, den – Dan, ten – tan, men – man; bend – band, lend – land, send –
sand;

bet – bat, met – mat, pet – pat, set – sat, mess – mass, wreck – rack, peck – pack, letter –
latter, better – batter;

[e] – [æ]: red bag, fell back, met Alice, pen pal

[æ] – [e]: Ann said, bad pen, add ten, marry Mary

[æ] – [a:]

bad – bard, lad – lard, Pam – palm, cam – calm, carry – car, Barry – bar;

cat – cart, hat – heart, mat – mart, pat – part, cap – carp, back – bark, pack – park,

[æ] – [a:]: Dan's father, last part, fast cars

[a:] – [æ]: smart Alex, hard candy, Karl's cat

[æ] – [ə]

fan – fun, ran – run, sang – sung, land – lung, Dan – done, man – month, frank – front, Sam
– some, ram – rum, damp – dump, bag – bug, rag – rug;

cat – cut, bat – but, hat – hut, fat – fuss, last – lust, task – tusk, back – buck, lack – luck,
tack – tuck, stack – stuck;

[æ] – [ə]: bad cut, bad blood, bad luck, black gun, last month, Ann's mother

[ə] – [æ]: some tan, one man, a bag, a hat;

[a:] – [o:]
far – four, car – core, tar – tore, star – store, card – cord, bard – board, barn – born; park –
pork, stark – stork, part – port, cart – court, Marty – Morty,[a:] – [o:]: carport, Bart bought,
hard core; [o:] – [a:]: four cars, ball park, small yard;

[a:] – [ə]

barn – bun, calm – come, drama – drum, march – much, darn – done, far – sofa, father –
mother;

bark – buck, dark – duck, lark – luck, tar – tuck, stark – stuck, heart – hut,

[a:] – [ər]

hard – heard, card – curd, far – fur, farm – firm, barn – burn, large – splurge, charge –
church; heart – hurt, cart – Curt, dark – dirt, lark – lurk, park – perk, carton – curtain,

[o:] – [ər]

call – curl, hall – hurl, all – earl, Paul – pearl, saw – sir, lawn – learn;

war – were, ward – word, warm – worm, reward – reword, walk – work, wart – worth;

four – fir, sore – sir, store – stir, core – occur, pour – purr;

born – burn, torn – turn, form – firm, board – bird, cord – curd,

course – curse, caught – curt, short – shirt, talk – Turk;

[o:] – [ər]: warm words, four birds, call Kurt; [ər] – [o:]: first floor, third door, learn all;

[o] – [ə]

bomb – bum, rob – rub, college – color, common – come, comma – company, body –
buddy, bother – brother;

gone – done, nonsense – none, honor – honey, monitor – money, monument – Monday,
fond – front, tongs – tongue, sponsor – sponge;

conference – confess, continent – contain, content (n.) – content (adj.) , contract (n.) –
contract (v.), contrary – control, policy – police;

lock – luck, sock – suck, cop – cup, hot – hut, not – nut, cloth – nothing, bottle – butter,
bottom – button;

[u:] – [yu:]

food – feud, fool – fume, cool – cute, who – hue, ooze – use, moose – muse, boot – beauty;

[u:] – [u]

fool – full, pool – pull, womb – woman, food – foot, Luke – look, tooth – took, shoot –
should;

[u] – [o]

cook – cock, look – lock, rook – rock, took – stock, put – pot, good – god;

[u] – [ə]

book – buck, look – luck, took – tuck, put – but, push – hush, full – dull, pull – hull;

The sounds [ə] (but) and [ər] (bird)

[ə] – [ər]

bud – bird, cub – curb, bun – burn, ton – turn, fun – fern, soda – coder;

luck – lurk, shut – shirt, but – Bert, hut – hurt, such – search, bust – burst, sofa – suffer,
quota – quarter;

stressed [ə] – unstressed [ə]

son – lesson, some – awesome, muss – famous, numb – venom, thud – method,
stressed [ər] – unstressed [ər]

fur – offer, refer – suffer, sir – answer, purr – helper, burn – stubborn, turn – lantern;

Contrasting monophthongs and diphthongs in pairs

[e] – [ei]

pen – pain, den – Dane, many – main, fell – fail, sell – sail, bed – bade, fed – fade, red –
raid;

let – late, met – mate, debt – date, bet – bait, wet – wait, sec – sake, wreck – rake, neck –
snake;

[e] – [ei]: next day, let's stay, Ben met Kate, felt great, tell tales; [ei] – [e]: make friends,
raise hell, say when;

[a:] – [ai]

par – pie, are – eye, bar – by, charm – chime, hard – hide,

park – pike, spark – spike, harp – hype, cart – kite, Bart – bite;

[a:] – [ai]: far cry, hard to find, barfly; [ai] – [a:]: die hard, my card, like art;

[a:] – [au]

hard – hound, darn – down, lard – loud,

art – out, part – pout; start – stout; shark – shout;

[a:] – [au]: start now, calm down, dark house, farther south; [au] – [a:]: how hard,
downhearted;

[æ] – [ai]

pal – pile, pan – pine, man – mine, band – bind, candy – kind, hand – hind; lack – like, tap
– type, rap – ripe, mass – mice, rat – right, fat – fight;

[æ] – [au]
Al – owl, lad – loud, sand – sound, tan – town, Dan – down, Fran – frown,

mass – mouse, lass – louse;

[o:] – [au]

nor – now, hall – howl, fall – foul, dawn – down, drawn – drown, crawl – crown, cord –
crowd, pause – spouse;

short – shout; port – pout, sport – spout;

[o:] – [ou]

saw – so, law – low, raw – row, lawn – lone, drawn – drone, clause – close, pause – pose,
cause – cozy, caught – coat, ought – oat;

hall – whole, mall – mole, bald – bold, called – cold, call – comb, walk – woke, falcon –
folk;

more – mow, bore – bow, door – doe, sore – sew, tore – tow, lord – load, born – bone, torn
– tone, mourn – mown;

[o:] – [ou]: more roads, call Flo, lawn mower; [ou] – [o:]: cold sore, old Ford, no laws, so
tall, don't fall, close call;

[o] – [ou]

nod – node, odd – owed, model – modal, modern – motel, mob – mobile, monument –
moment, column – colon, doll – roll;

option – open, pot – potent, hot – hotel, lost – ghost, monster – most, positive – post, hostel
– host;

[o] – [ou]: hot rolls, pot roast, hostile host; [ou] – [o]: role model, don't bother, most
hospitals;

[ə] – [ou]

mud – mode, nut – note, but – boat, must – most, bust – boast, bus – both, Russ – gross;
done – donor, done – don't, won – won't, one – only, mother – motor, does – dose, cover –
clover;

[ə] – [ou]: a boat, a donor, the host, some notes; [ou] – [ə]: only one, both mothers, won't
trust, most buses, no money;

Contrasting diphthongs in pairs

[ai] – [au]

high – how, nine – noun, bright – brow, find – found, hind – hound, signed – sound;

[ai] – [au]: nice town, try now, light-brown, night owl, five rounds; [au] – [ai]: how nice;

[ai] – [oi]

rye – Roy, tie – toy, buy – boy, file – foil, bile – boil, pint – point, lied – Lloyd;

[au] – [ou]

now – no, how – owe, pow – mow, allow – low, cow – crow, thou – though;

owl – own, brown – bowl, cowl – coal, drown – drone, town – tone, noun – known, loud –
load,

couch – coach, pouch – poach;

[ai] – [ou]

die – doe, tie – toe, lie – low, my – Moe, sigh – so, guy – go;

ride – road, lied – load, tile – toll, pile – poll, cries – crows, flies – flows, night – note;

[ai] – [ei]

buy – bay, pie – pay, die – day, lie – lay, sty – stay, high – hey, rye – ray;

file – fail, mile – mail, pile – pale, tile – tail, time – tame, line – lane, pine – pain, sign –
sane, rise – raise;
rice – race, fight – fate, light – late, right – rate, height – hate;

[ai] – [ei]: my day, white paint, why wait, crime rate; [ei] – [ai]: take time, eight miles, late
night, say hi;

Diphthongs

[ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou]

bay – buy – bough – boy – bone;bait – bite – bout – boil – boat;

Dane – dine – down – Doyle – dough; tame – time – town – toy – tone;

ale – I'll – owl – oil – old;

great – grind – ground – groin – grow;

paint – pint – pound – point – poll;

maize – mice – mouse – moist – most.

English Consonant Sounds

Consonant letters and their sounds

A consonant letter usually represents one consonant sound. Some consonant letters, for
example, c, g, s, can represent two different consonant sounds.

Letters Sounds Examples

b [b] baby, best buy, bring, blind,absent, about, number, labor, robber, tub

[s] center, cellar, cigarrette, cinema, agency, notice

c [k] cake, come, cucumber, clean, cry, scratch, act, panic

d [d] day, dear, die, door, duty, admire, hidden, lady, kind, ride, ended

f [f] fast, female, five, forest, fund, fry, flight, often, deaf, cuff

[g] game, gap, get, go, gun, great, global, giggle, ago, begin, dog, egg
g [j] general, gin, giant, agent, suggest, Egypt, energy, huge, manage

[zh] mirage, garage, beige, rouge

[h] hair, help, history, home, hotel, hunt, behind, inherit

h [-] hour, honor, honest, heir, vehicle, Sarah

j [j] jam, Jane, jet, jelly, Jim, jingle, joke, John, June, just

k [k] Kate, kind, kill, kilogram, sky, blanket, break, take, look

l [l] ate, let, live, alone, close, slim, please, old, nicely, table, file, all

m [m] make, men, mind, mother, must, my, common, summer, name, form, team

n [n] napkin, never, night, no, nuclear, funny, student, kindness, ton, sun

p [p] paper, person, pick, pour, public, repair, apple, keep, top, crisp

[kw] quality, question, quite, quote, equal, require

qu [k] unique, technique, antique, grotesque

r [r] rain, red, rise, brief, grow, scream, truck, arrive, hurry, turn, more, car

s [s] send, simple, song, system, street, lost, kiss, release

[z] cause, present, reason, realism, advise, always, is, was

t [t] task, tell, time, tone, tune, hotel, attentive, student, boat, rest

v [v] vast, vein, vivid, voice, even, review, invest, give, move, active

w [w] wall, war, way, west, wind, word, would, swear, swim, twenty, twist

[ks] exercise, exchange, expect, ex-wife, axis, fix, relax

x [gz] exam, exact, executive, exert, exist, exit, exult

[z] Xenon, Xerox, xenophobia, xylophone

 [z] zero, zoo, horizon, puzzle, crazy, organize, quiz, jazz

z [tz] pizza, Mozart, Nazi, waltz

Letters Sounds Examples

[ks] accent, accept, access, eccentric, accident;

cc
[k] accommodate, account, accuse, occur, acclaim

ch chain, check, chief, choose, teacher, much, church;

[ch]
tch kitchen, catch, match, watch, pitch, stretch

character, chemical, Chris, archive, mechanic, technical,

ch (Latin, Greek) [k]
ache;
ch (French) [sh]
champagne, charlatan, chef, chic, machine, cache

ck [k] black, pack, deck, kick, pick, cracker, pocket, rocket

dge [j] bridge, edge, judge, knowledge, budget, badger

[g] ghost, ghastly, Ghana, ghetto;

gh [f] cough, enough, rough, tough, laugh;

[-] though, through, weigh, neighbor, bought, daughter

[g] guard, guess, guest, guide, guitar, dialogue;

gu
[gw] language, linguistics, Guatemala, Nicaragua

[ŋ] king, sing, singer, singing, bang, long, wrong, tongue;

ng
[ŋ]+[g] finger, anger, angry, longer, longest, single
ph [f] phone, photograph, phrase, phenomenon, biography

[kw] quality, question, quite, quote, equal, require;

qu
[k] unique, technique, antique, grotesque

[s] science, scissors, scene, scent, scythe;

sc
[sk] scan, scandal, scare, score, Scotch, scuba

[sk] school, scholar, scheme, schedule;

sch
[sh] schnauzer, schedule

sh [sh] share, she, shine, shoe, fish, cash, push, punish

[θ] thank, thick, think, thought, thunder, author, breath, bath;

th
[ð] this, that, then, though, father, brother, breathe, bathe

what, when, where, which, while, why, whale, wheel,

[w]
white;
wh
[h]
who, whom, whose, whole

[ks] exhibition;

xh [ks]+[h] exhumation, exhume, exhale;

[g]+[z] exhaust, exhibit, exhilarate, exhort, exhume, exhale

With silent letters Sounds Examples

bt, pt [t] doubt, debt, subtle; receipt, pterodactyl

kn, gn, pn [n] knee, knife, know; gnome, sign, foreign; pneumonia,
 pneumatic

mb, lm [m] lamb, climb, bomb, comb, tomb; calm, palm, salmon

ps [s] psalm, pseudonym, psychologist, psychiatrist

rh [r] rhapsody, rhetoric, rheumatism, rhythm, rhyme

wr [r] wrap, wreck, wrestle, wrinkle, wrist, write, wrong

Letters in the
Sounds Examples
suffix

nation, patient, special, vicious, pension, Asia, sensual,

ti, ci, si, su [sh]
pressure

si, su [zh] vision, fusion, Asia, usual, visual, measure, pleasure

p parking, gallop, open

b board, tab, abandon

t trunk, request, receipt

d add, ad, diligent

k kodak, cord, accomplish, school, ache, conqueror, exchange (x = k+s)

g grace, agree auxiliary (x = g+z)

tʃ chance, achieve, catch, mutual

dʒ jungle, judge, logic, procedure

f fool, atmosphere, enough

v vocal, give

θ thanks, ethic

ð there, other

s sunday, citizen, east, scissors, psychology

z zebra, cosmonaut, resign, xenon

ʃ shine, sure, action, special, issue, conscience, anxious (x = k + ʃ)

ʒ visual, casual, usual, garage,

h head, uphill

m mother, lamb

n note, intrusion, knowledge, pneumatic

ŋ sing, sink

l laughter, illegal

r random, orange; (amer.) order

j yet, yesterday, you, utility; (u = j + u)

w what, windows, quest, one (o = w + ʌ)

Note 1: The letter Y

The letter Y can function as a vowel or as a consonant. As a vowel, Y has the vowel sounds
[i], [ai]. As a consonant, Y has the consonant sound [y] (i.e., a semivowel sound), usually at
the beginning of the word and only in the syllable before a vowel.

[i]: baby, hurry, lyrics, mystery;

[ai]: by, try, rely, nylon, type;

[y]: yacht, yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you, young, Yukon.

Note 2: The letter W

The letter W represents the vowel sound [u:] in the diphthongs [au] and [ou]: now, how,
owl, brown; low, own, bowl.

The -s/es ending of nouns and verbs

After a voiceless consonant: [s]After a voiced consonant or vowel: [z]

After the letters s, z, x,

[s]

tapes [teips], streets [stri:ts], parks [pa:rks], chiefs [chi:fs], myths [miθs]

(he) grips [grips], writes [raits], takes [teiks], sniffs [snifs]

Pip's [pips], Kate's [keits], Mike's [maiks], Jeff's [jefs], Seth's [seθs]

[z]

ribs [ribz], kids [kidz], legs [legz], leaves [li:vz], clothes [klouðz], girls, games, cars, boys,
pies [paiz], cows [kauz], cities ['sitiz]

(he) robs [robz], reads [ri:dz], digs [digz], saves [seivz], falls, plans, swims, offers, plays,
cries, goes [gouz], copies ['kopiz]

Abe's [eibz], Fred's [fredz], Meg's [megz], Olive's ['olivz], Ben's [benz], Molly's ['moliz],
Anna's

[iz]

pieces ['pi:siz], roses ['rouziz], prizes ['praiziz], boxes ['boksiz], coaches ['kouchiz], bridges
['brijiz], dishes ['dishiz]

(he) kisses ['kisiz], loses ['lu:ziz], relaxes, catches, judges, manages, flashes, washes, rouges

Chris's ['krisiz], Tess's ['tesiz], Rose's ['rouziz], Liz's ['liziz], Rex's ['reksiz], George's
['jo:rjiz]
The -ed ending of verbs

After a voiceless consonant: [t]

After a voiced consonant or vowel: [d]

After the letters t, d: [id]

[t]

stopped [stopt], liked [laikt], coughed [ko:ft], crossed [cro:st], released [ri'li:st], reached
[ri:cht], washed [wosht]

[d]

robbed [robd], saved [seivd], seized [si:zd], called [ko:ld], planned, occurred, bathed
[beiðd], managed, played, tried, studied

[id]

wanted ['wontid], hated ['heitid], counted ['kauntid], started, needed [ni:did], loaded
['loudid], folded, added