Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings
Vowels
| iː | see | ɪ | sit | e / ɛ | bed | æ | cat |
| ɑː | father | ɒ | hot (UK) | ɔː | law | ʊ | put |
| uː | too | ʌ | cup | ɜː | bird | ə | about |
| eɪ | day | aɪ | my | ɔɪ | boy | aʊ | now |
| əʊ / oʊ | go (UK / US) | ɪə | near | eə | hair | ʊə | tour |
Consonants that look unusual
| θ | thin | ð | this | ʃ | she | ʒ | measure |
| tʃ | church | dʒ | judge | ŋ | sing | j | yes |
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
Results for “'em”
- shoot-'em-up nounAlternative spelling of shoot 'em up.
- ajax preposition, noun, proper noun(Polari) Nearby, over there
- brawler nounOne who brawls, engages in noisy, unseemly fights.
- broadway noun, proper noun, adjectiveAn esplanade.
- canine adjective, nounOf, or pertaining to, a dog or dogs.
- drinking age nounUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: The least age at which one is permitted by law to drink alcoholic beverages.
- Heinz proper noun, nounA surname from German.
- Jack Benny noun(poker slang) A three and a nine as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em.
- jackass noun, verb(countable) A male donkey.
- Jesse James proper noun(poker slang) A player who often bluffs.
- king crab nounAny highly prized crab-like crustacean in the subfamily Lithodinae.
- load up verb(transitive) To fill (a vehicle, vessel, room, etc.) with a load of cargo or similar.
- mixed marriage nounMarriage between people of different socially-distinguished groups, such as different races, cultures or religions.
- Motown proper noun, noun(informal) Detroit.
- Omaha noun, proper nounA member of a tribe of Native Americans currently residing in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
- pocket noun, verb, adjective, proper noun(clothing) A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
- presto adverb, interjection, noun, proper noun(music) Very fast or quickly; a directive for the musician(s) to play in a very quick tempo.
- rainbow noun, adjective, verb, proper nounA multicoloured arch in the sky, produced by prismatic refraction of light within droplets of rain in the air.
- rank adjective, adverb, noun, verb, proper nounStrong in growth; growing with vigour or rapidity, hence, coarse or gross.
- royalty noun, proper nounThe rank, status, power or authority of a monarch.
- swig verb, nounTo drink (usually by gulping or in a greedy or unrefined manner); to quaff.