Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

sidetrack

/ˈsaɪdˌtɹæk/ noun, verb

Forms sidetracks sidetracking sidetracked side-track side track

  1. noun (rail transport) A second, relatively short length of track just to the side of a railroad track, joined to the main track by switches at one or both ends, used either for unloading freight, or to allow two trains on a same track to meet (opposite directions) or pass (same direction); a railroad siding.
  2. noun (sometimes) Any auxiliary railroad track, as differentiated from a siding, that runs adjacent to the main track.
  3. noun (mining) A smaller tunnel or well drilled as an auxiliary off a main tunnel or well.
  4. noun An alternate train of thought, issue, topic, or activity, that is a deviation or distraction from the topic at hand or central activity, and secondary or subordinate in importance or effectiveness. “Stay focused on the story; you keep getting lost in all of these little sidetracks.”
  5. verb (rail transport) To divert (a locomotive or train) on to a lesser used track in order to allow other trains to pass.
  6. verb To divert or distract (someone) from a main issue or course of action with an alternate or less relevant topic or activity; or, to use deliberate trickery or sly wordplay when talking to (a person) in order to avoid discussion of a subject. “Sorry I'm late. I got sidetracked helping my friend move some furniture.”
  7. verb To sideline; to push aside; to divert or distract from, reducing (something) to a secondary or subordinate position. “The project was sidetracked in favor of a more popular program.”
  8. verb (intransitive) To deviate briefly from the topic at hand. “Just to sidetrack a little bit from the subject I will explain my reasoning.”

Synonyms

railroad siding siding lay-by digress turnout depart straggle

Etymology

From side + track.

Webster’s 1913

  1. verb To transfer to a siding from a main line of track.
  2. verb Hence, fig., to divert or reduce to a position or condition that is relatively secondary or subordinate in activity, importance, effectiveness, or the like; to switch off; to turn aside, as from a purpose. [Colloq.]

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sidetrack”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details