Phonemic symbols + Words

THE PHONEMIC SYMBOLS OF ENGLISH

Below are a list of words to help you remember the phonemic symbols and their pronunciation. The stress mark has been included in polysyllabic words (words of more than one syllable). Some words are written with a final -s letter. Remember that the word form without the final s will always affect the way in which s is pronounced.

Short vowel sounds: 7

/ć/ bad /bćd/, hats /hćts/

/ɒ/ dogs/dɒgz/,God/gɒd/, hot/hɒt/,off /ɒf/

/e/yet/jet/, bed/bed/,said/sed/, bread/bred/

/Ə/ about/Əˈbaʊt/, ahead /Əhed/, other /ˈʌðƏ/

/ɪ/ wins /wInz/, wings /wIŋz/,winks /wIŋks/

/ʌ/ cups /kʌps/ won-wʌn/, wonder /ˈwʌndƏ/

/ʊ/pull /pʊl/, foot, /fʊt/, look /lʊk/ all –ook,

Long vowel sounds:5

/ɑː/dark/dɑːk/, arm /ɑːm/, heart /hɑːt/

/ɔː/ cord/kɔːd/, sword/sɔːd/, born /bɔːn/

/iː/bees /bi:z/, means /mi:nz/, sheep /ʃi:p/

/ɜː/heard /hɜːd /, hurts /hɜːts/, word /wɜːd/

/uː/rude/ruːd/,chews /ʧuːz/, loses /ˈluːzIz/,

Diphthongs: 8

/eɪ/ may /meɪ/, day/deɪ/, cakes/keɪks/

/aɪ/ eye-I/aɪ/, my /maɪ/, rice /raɪs/

/ɔɪ/ soil /sɔɪl/, boils /bɔɪlz/, toy /tɔɪ/

/eƏ/ air/eƏ/, bear-bare/beƏ/,share/ʃeƏ/

hair-hare /heƏ/

/ɪƏ/ ear /ɪƏ/, here-hear /hɪƏ/,beard /bɪƏd/

/ʊƏ/ pure /pjʊƏ/, cure /kjʊƏ/

/Əʊ/oh/Əʊ/, no/nƏʊ/, don’t/dƏʊnt/, go/gƏʊ/

/aʊ/ cows /kaʊz/, now /naʊ/, how /haʊ/

Triphthongs: 5

/eɪƏ/ /layer /ˈleɪƏ/, players /ˈpleɪƏz/, greyer /ˈgreɪƏ/,

/aɪƏ/ liar /ˈlaɪƏ/, hire-higher /ˈhaɪƏ/, fires /ˈfaɪƏz/, buyers /ˈbaɪƏz/, drier-dryer /ˈdraɪƏ/

/ɔɪƏ/ loyal /ˈlɔɪƏl/, royal /ˈrɔɪƏl/, employer/ImˈplɔɪƏ/

/ƏʊƏ/ lower /ˈlƏʊƏ/ grower /ˈgrƏʊƏ/, mower /ˈmƏʊƏ/

/aʊƏ/ showers /ˈʃaʊƏz/, power /ˈpaʊƏ/, tower /ˈtaʊƏ/, flour-flower /ˈflaʊƏ/ hour-our /ˈaʊƏ/

Consonants: Plosives: 6

/p/paw-pore-pour-pour /pɔː/, punch /pʌnʧ/, pip /pɪp/, pup /pʌp/, pub /pʌb/, speaks /spi:ks/

/b/books /bʊks/, bar /bɑː/, bore-boar /bɔː/, bored-board /bɔːd/, verbs /vɜːbz/, robbers/ˈrɒbƏz/

/t/ tool /tuːl/, torch /tɔːʧ/ turned /tɜːnd/, tight /taɪt/, steal-steel /sti:l/, pet /pet/, bets /bets/

/d/ dead /ded/, deed /di:d/, did /dɪd/, dad /dæd/, died-dyed /daɪd/, dodo /ˈdƏʊdƏʊ/

/k/ kitten /ˈkɪtƏn/ ,cook /kʊk/, carp /kɑːp/, quick, /kwɪk/, queen /kwi:n/, quit /kwɪt/, quiz /kwɪz//g/got /gɒt/, gone /gɒn/, gun /gʌn/, guard /gɑːd/, greed /gri:d/, greet /gri:t/, great-grate /greɪt/

Consonants: fricatives: 9

The first phoneme in each pair is voiceless

/f/frogs/frɒgz/, finger/ˈfɪŋgƏ/, full/fʊl, fool/f uːl/, /flood/flʌd/, half/hɑːf/, fear/fɪƏ/, fair-fare/feƏ/

/v/ victor/ˈvɪktƏ/, love/lʌv/ negative /ˈnegƏtɪv/, cover /ˈkʌvƏ/, vacuum /ˈvækjuːm/, have /hæv/

/θ/ thin /θɪŋ/ things/θɪŋz/ thinks /θɪŋks/, baths /bɑːθs/north /nɔːθ/, earth /ɜːθ/, paths /pɑːθs/

/ð/ the /ðƏ/, then /ðen/, that /ðæt/, this /ðɪs/,another /ƏˈnʌðƏ/, mother /ˈmʌðƏ/ brother /ˈbrʌðƏ/